The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Two Figures dates from beween 1849 and 1851, and was given to Whistler's schoolmate Edward Lawrence Hyde (1835-1917) at Christ Church Hall, Pomfret, CT.

It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 36) as 'Fishing'. This title and catalogue entry have been revised.

Images

Subject

Description

The subject has been variously described as 'Two Figures with Plumed Hats', 'Fishing' and 'Two Figures'. ¹

It is very hard to interpret this drawing. It shows two men, one standing at left, leaning on a gravestone that has a skull and crossed bones at the top. His head is partly obscured by an oval shape; from this a cigar-shaped object extends up to right, apparently with smoke puffing up from it. The other man is seated on the ground, leaning on his right arm. He is holding a long pole in his right hand, from which waves a line, possibly a whip, or the top of a flag or pennant (it is unlikely to be a fishing line, given the graveyard setting). He appears to have a hat or helmet with two large irreguarly oval shapes adorning the top.

Technique

Technique

It is drawn on smooth medium weight wove rag paper. It is a rough sketch with numerous pentimenti.

History

Provenance

• 1849/1851: given to Whistler's schoolmate Edward Lawrence Hyde (1835-1917), in Pomfret, CT;
• 1917: bequeathed to his wife Imogine Adell Hyde née Clarke (b. 1847);
• By 1924: according to her niece Mary E. Hyde, Boston, given to her sister in California.
• 1936: owned by her sisters Laura, Bessie and Lillian Hyde in California, and passed by family descent to Silvia Hyde Rhodes, then to Imogene Hyde Alexieff (1907-1995), Mrs Theodore Stephen Alexieff; and to her son Stephen Theodore Alexieff (b. 1932);
• 1994: gift of Steven P. Alexeiff in honour of Professor and Mrs Albert Simonson to Rhode Island School of Design.

Photostats of drawings owned by Edward L. Hyde were sent to Joseph Pennell (1860-1926) in 1924.

Exhibitions

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 36) as 'Fishing'.

Journals 1906-Present

• Pressly, Nancy D., 'Whistler in America: An Album of Early Drawings', Metropolitan Museum Journal, New York, vol. 5, 1972, pp. 125-54 (no. 11g).

Websites

• RISD website at https://risdmuseum.org/art-design/collection as 'Two Figures'.