The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Portrait of Walter Winans dates from 1878. ¹

On Saturday 29 June 1878 Whistler's mother, Anna Matilda Whistler (1804-1881), wrote to him, 'May be Walter Ws portrait may be finished before your birthday 11th July', in which case, Whistler could visit her in Hastings. ²

Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913) recorded going with Charles Augustus Howell (1840?-1890) to visit Whistler in Lindsey Row, Chelsea, apparently in 1878, and seeing him at work, on 'a full-length portrait of Mr. Winans, in black, against a black background.' ³

Images

Subject

Titles

Only one title has been suggested:

• 'Portrait of Walter Winans' (1980, YMSM). ⁴

Description

Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913) described it as 'a full-length portrait of Mr. Winans, in black, against a black background.' ⁵

Sitter

Walter Scott Winans (1840-1928) was the youngest son of Ross Winans (1795-1877) and Julia De Kay. He was a younger brother of Thomas de Kay Winans (1820-1878), one of Whistler's first American patrons, and was related to Whistler through his sister Julia Winans (Mrs G. W. Whistler) (1825-1875) who married Whistler's half-brother George William Whistler (1822-1869).

Technique

Technique

Unknown.

Conservation History

Unknown.

Frame

Unknown.

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. 199) as 'Portrait of Walter Winans'.

Authored by Whistler

• None.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• None.

Journals 1855-1905

• None.

Monographs

• None.

Books on Whistler

• Way, Thomas Robert, Memories of James McNeill Whistler, the Artist, London and New York, 1912, p. 10.

Books, General

• None.

Catalogues 1906-Present

• None.

Journals 1906-Present

• None.

Websites

• None.

Unpublished

• None.

Other

• None.