The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler
M.1250
r. and v.: Butterfly
Date
r. and v.: Butterfly were drawn for publication in Whistler 1890 [more].
Butterfly, Library of Congress
v.: Butterfly, Library of Congress
They are catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1250).
Images
r.: Butterfly, Library of Congress
v.: Butterfly, Library of Congress
Subject
Description
r.: Butterfly, Library of Congress
v.: Butterfly, Library of Congress
Both sides bear a butterfly remotely based on Whistler's monogram 'JW', with the addition of a long barbed tail curving upwards. They were designed for Whistler 1890 [more].
Technique
Composition
r.: Butterfly, Library of Congress
Designed for Whistler 1890 [more]. The butterfly on the recto was used in The Gentle Art of Making Enemies as the final butterfly in the catalogue of Venice etchings and drypoints (originally published in 1881).
History
Provenance
- 1890: probably sent by Whistler to William Heinemann (1863-1920), London publisher.
- 1903: bought from Colnaghi, London art dealers, by Joseph Pennell (1860-1926);
- 1917: given by Joseph and Elizabeth Robins Pennell (1855-1936) to the Library of Congress.
Bibliography
Catalogues Raisonnés
- MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 1250) as 'r. and v.: Butterfly'.
Authored by Whistler
- Whistler, James McNeill, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, London, 1890, repr. p. 105.