The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

A series of eighteen Prussian portraits were drawn in October 1858, in return for food, drink and lodging for the artist en route between Cologne to Aix la Chappelle. ¹

The drawings are catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 282).

Images

Subject

Site

Drawn at some town between Cologne to Aix la Chappelle.

Sitter

Whistler told his sister Deborah Delano Haden (1825-1908) that, returning penniless from the Rhineland, he drew portraits for food and lodgings:

'the first night I made a portrait in pencil (we happily had saved a sheet of paper) for a plate of soup for Erneste and myself … I was unable to move out of the way of a mob of hooting Prussian children ... how we were weary and miserable, - how I, for a glass of milk I had to make the portrait of one of my young tormentors … how for another portrait, we had a piece of black bread and an egg … how we came upon a Dorf where there was a fair - how I there made portraits of "butchers and bakers and candlestick makers" for five groschen a piece that is a little more than fourpence!! ... and yet I did my best - and each one of the eighteen portraits, was a drawing such as Seymour would have been pleased to see come from my hand!' ²

Technique

Technique

Whistler mentioned working with paper and pencil, and that 'I did my best.' ³

History

Provenance

Unknown.

Exhibitions

No exhibitions are known.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 282) as 'Prussian portraits'.