The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler
M.0094
One of the Board
Date
One of the Board dates from between 1852 and 1854, when Whistler was a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
One of the Board, Pennell 1908, vol. 1, repr. f.p. 116
It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 94); the catalopgue entry has been amended. The drawing is known only from a photograph.
Images
One of the Board, Pennell 1908, vol. 1, repr. f.p. 116
Subject
Sitter
Frederick Lynn Childs' daughter Mary Mackenzie Childs recorded that this was a caricature of the Board of Visitors at West Point. 1 The fifteen or so members of the Board were responsible for overseeing examinations.
Technique
Technique
One of the Board, Pennell 1908, vol. 1, repr. f.p. 116
The tall, thin figure was drawn with short, agitated zigzag and broken lines, except for the straight lines outlining the coat and the long cane. The face with its downturned mouth and round-lensed spectacles, the bristling eyebrows and spiky hair, contrast with the severity of the smart coat and high collar.
History
Provenance
- 1852/1854: given to Frederick Lynn Childs (1831-1894), a fellow cadet at USMA, West Point;
- 1894: passed to his son Thomas Childs (1861-1934).
William E. Gray, 92 Queen's Road, Bayswater, London, photographed 'One of the Board' for Joseph Pennell (1860-1926) in 1907. 2 This suggests that it was briefly in Pennell's possession, presumably when preparing for publication in The Life of James McNeill Whistler. 3 The history of the drawing after 1908 is unknown, but it is possible that it remained in the family. Frederick Lynn Childs had married (1) Mary Hooper Anderson and (2) Rebecca Box Gourdin Ingraham. The drawing was inherited by Thomas Childs, who allowed it to be reproduced by the Pennells in 1908.
Thomas married Clara Annie Beck (1866-1918). They had five children: Alice F. Ravenal (1866-1918), Clara Childs Puckette (1892-1978), Mary Childs (1893-1894), Thomas Childs (1897-1916) and William Wallace Anderson Childs (1906-1965). William's wife Mildred died in 2000; Clara's husband Stephen and son Stephen E. Puckette died in 2017. 4
Bibliography
Catalogues Raisonnés
- MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 94) as 'One of the Board'.
Books on Whistler
- Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Life of James McNeill Whistler, 2 vols, London and Philadelphia, 1908, vol. 1, repr. f.p. 116 as 'One of the Board'.
Notes:
1: Letter from her brother Thomas Childs to Pennell, LC PC.
2: Bill dated 11 February 1907, E. R. & J. Pennell Collection, Library of Congress. At the same time Gray photographed 'Book cover & frontispiece', 'Small round drawing 2 Figures', and Duck m0001.
3: Pennell 1908 [more], vol. 1, repr. f.p. 116.
4: Family trees on Ancestry.com at https://www.ancestry.co.uk.