The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Violet Girl probably dated from between 1869 and 1870. ¹

It was mentioned by Whistler in connection with a 'Blue Girl', now known as Annabel Lee y079, in a letter to William Grapel (1822-1887), as follows:

'I wish indeed that the little Blue Girl were yours ... This blue picture is a comission [sic] ... I should have liked to please you and care but little about the other who is comparatively a stranger - The violet Girl though as yet is promised to no one - and when I show her at all! I shall send for you - It would I think please you.' ²

The picture has not been identified, and there is no further reference to it.

Images

Subject

Titles

Only one title has been suggested:

• 'Violet girl' (1869/1870, Whistler). ³
• 'Violet Girl' (1980, YMSM). ⁴

Description

Unknown.

Annabel Lee, The Hunterian

There is a possibility that the 'violet girl' was similar in subject and scale to Annabel Lee y079, the 'Blue Girl' that was mentioned in Whistler's letter to William Grapel, already cited. ⁵

Sitter

Unknown.

Comments

Annabel Lee, The Hunterian

Sketch for 'Annabel Lee', The Hunterian

Violet and Rose: La Belle de Jour, Fogg Art Museum

Annabel Lee is predominantly pale green and blue with touches of lilac and violet. No painting extant has a dominant violet colour scheme, although one of the 'Six projects', Symphony in Green and Violet y083 includes a figure with violet drapery. Some paintings include violet robes: one, known as Sketch for 'Annabel Lee' y080 (dated 1868/1877), is dominated by the robe, which has a dark violet background and paler, lilac light areas. A later painting of a similarly posed figure, Violet and Rose: La Belle de Jour y319 (dated 1884) shows a pink-draped figure in front of violet drapery.

Technique

Technique

Unavailable.

Conservation History

Unknown.

Frame

Unavailable.

History

Provenance

Unknown.

Exhibitions

Unknown.

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. 102) as 'Violet Girl'.

Authored by Whistler

• None.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• None.

Monographs

• None.

Books on Whistler

• None.

Catalogues 1906-Present

• None.

Journals 1906-Present

• None.

Websites

• None.

Unpublished

• None.

Other

• None.