The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Interrogative butterfly was drawn in a 'bleu' sent by Whistler to Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898), 89 rue de Rome, Paris, on 27 January 1893. ¹ It may have announced the Whistlers' establishment at 110 rue du Bac.

Interrogative butterfly, Glasgow University Library

It was catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1357).

Images

Subject

Description

Interrogative butterfly, Glasgow University Library

A butterfly with a long tail curving up to right where a question mark is surrounded by rays of light.

Technique

Technique

Interrogative butterfly, Glasgow University Library

Drawn with quick curved strokes in the same pen and ink as the address. The shaded trefoil behind the butterfly was used by Whistler after his marriage to Beatrice Philip (Mrs E. W. Godwin, Mrs J. McN. Whistler) (1857-1896). She signed her work with a trefoil monogram from her initials 'BP' (Beatrice Philip).

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.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 1357) 'Interrogative butterfly'.

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 #03865.