The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler
YMSM 007
Portrait of Madame H. Aubrée
Date
Portrait of Madame H. Aubrée dates from after Whistler arrived in France in November 1855, and probably from 1856 or 1857. 1
Louis Aubrée (fl. 1870-1899) wrote to Whistler from 5 Impasse du Tir, Malakoff, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, that about 1879 his father had inherited from the sitter, 'Me. H. Aubrée', some works by Whistler ('peintures portraits signés de votre nom') dating from about 1855 or 1856, including 'un portrait de l'auteur peint par lui même, ... Un portrait de Me. H. Aubrée ... un portrait de Me. H. Aubrée à la plume.' 2 There is no record of a reply, nor any further record of these works.
Images
Portrait of Madame H. Aubrée, Whereabouts unknown
Portrait of a Peasant Woman, The Hunterian
Subject
Titles
One title has been suggested for this portrait, with a minor change in the title of the owner herself:
- 'Un portrait de Me. H. Aubrée' (1899, L. Aubrée). 3
- 'Portrait of Madame H. Aubrée' (1980, YMSM). 4
It is not absolutely certain that the sitter was Madame, rather than Mademoiselle. However, 'Portrait of Madame H. Aubrée' is the preferred title.
Description
The portrait of a woman, signed by the artist.
Sitter
H. Aubrée (d. ca 1879). Nothing further is known about the sitter. It is not even certain that she was 'Madame' rather than 'Mademoiselle'.
Portrait of a Peasant Woman, The Hunterian
It is just possible, however, that she could be the sitter in Head of a Peasant Woman y021 (who was not, judging by her dress, actually a peasant).
Technique
Technique
Unknown.
Conservation History
Nothing further is known.
Frame
Unknown.
History
Provenance
- 1855/1856: painted for the Aubrée family, in France;
- 1879: according to Louis Aubrée (fl. 1870-1899), 'Mon frère à herité il y a une vingtaine d'années - (1879) de peintures portraits ... Ces objets étaient la proprieté de Me. H. Aubrée sa soeur.' 5
- 1899: still owned by the Aubrée family.
H. Aubrée (d. ca 1879) has not been identified.
Exhibitions
It was never exhibited.
Bibliography
Catalogues Raisonnés
- Young, Andrew McLaren, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer, and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, 1980 (cat. no. 7) as 'Portrait of Madame H. Aubrée'.
Authored by Whistler
- None.
Catalogues 1855-1905
- None.
Journals 1855-1905
- None.
Monographs
- None.
Books on Whistler
- None.
Books, General
- None.
Catalogues 1906-Present
- None.
Journals 1906-Present
- None.
Notes:
1: YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 7) mentions a date of 'about 1855 or 1856'.
2: GUW #00216.
3: L. Aubrée to Whistler, 30 December 1899, GUW #00216.
4: YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 7).
5: L. Aubrée to Whistler, 30 December 1899, GUW #00216. Translation: My brother inherited twenty years ago some portraits ... These were the property of Me. H. Aubrée his sister.'