The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Head of a man in a cap was drawn on the draft of a letter from Whistler to the firm of Thorndike Nourse in March 1891. ¹ The letter is not related to the drawing.

Head of a man in a cap, Glasgow University Library

The drawing is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1316). The entry has been amended.

Images

Subject

Sitter

Head of a man in a cap, Glasgow University Library

Possibly a jockey, not identified.

Technique

Technique

Head of a man in a cap, Glasgow University Library

This is very like the work of Beatrice Philip (Mrs E. W. Godwin, Mrs J. McN. Whistler) (1857-1896), particularly her caricatures, although it is possible that it was by Whistler, who was influenced by her style of drawing at this time. Both letter and drawing were drawn with black ink and a fine nibbed pen, which makes it difficult to separate writer and artist.

History

Provenance

• 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death in 1903 and bequeathed to his sister-in-law, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958);
• 1955: given by Miss Birnie Philip to the University of Glasgow.

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. 1316) as 'Head of a man in a cap'.

Websites

• The Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler, 1855-1903, edited by Margaret F. MacDonald, Patricia de Montfort and Nigel Thorp; including The Correspondence of Anna McNeill Whistler, 1855-1880, edited by Georgia Toutziari. Online edition, University of Glasgow, 2003-2004, GUW #04312.