The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy dates from 1894. ¹

According to the Pennells, the portrait was commissioned by the sitter in 1893, and painted in six weeks in Whistler's Paris studio in the rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs in 1894. ² Sittings took place in August and possibly September (an inscription in Whistler's hand on the verso is dated October 1894, when the picture was completed).

Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy, Art Institute of Chicago

Whistler was painting and repainting the portrait until the last moment before the sitter left the country. Eddy remembered the final day:

'How well I recall the darkening studio - the last glimpse of the portrait - dim and vague in the deepening twilight, and finally the good-byes to you and Mrs. Whistler ...

What a day we had a year ago now! Every thing went (including the Canadian Club whiskey) in your grand manner -

Mrs Whistler and I did not count at all - you simply swept on regardless and I verily believe that if darkness had not intervened you would have painted the whole picture over - you really did practically.' ³

Eddy was back in Chicago by 15 September 1894, when he wrote:

'Only last night I told Mrs Eddy that you were the only man I ever met and associated with daily whom I found companionable and ever more enjoyable each succeeding day. Barring the pain and torture we had - perhaps I should say, I had - the best of times together.

But where is our portrait? I am getting anxious, lest you have painted the [Senator?] out and some other fellow in.' ⁴

Eddy paid 350 francs on 27 October 1894 and promised the rest when the picture arrived. ⁵ It was signed and dated on the verso by Whistler in October 1894. It was on its way to Chicago by 8 November 1894, and had arrived there by 5 December 1894. ⁶ Eddy wrote to Whistler:

I cannot tell you how glad I am to hear the picture is finished to your satisfaction - That is news I did not expect.

All the trouble of the posing was recompensed in the delightful hours spent with you - the portrait is just so much clear gain.

When it comes I shall write you what I think and what others say - I find I am already famous in many quarters as the man who bearded the lion in his den and stole a portrait - if everybody only knew how charming the lion really is - but then everybody will in January or February when you come.' ⁷

By 5 December the portrait had arrived and was hung, as Eddy reported to Whistler:

'I am more than pleased with it - it is a fine & graceful work of art, just such a portrait as one would expect from you. Durand-Ruel Sr. dined with me Sunday and he thought it fine.

Mrs Eddy admires it greatly as a picture but thinks it does not do me justice as a portrait - my friends hold various and conflicting views as to the likeness - It is interesting to hear the many opinions, but nothing said disturbs my conviction that it is prime - both as picture and portrait - it could not well be otherwise. If everybody liked it on first sight, I should feel it is not a Whistler. The quality of a picture is inversely [proportionate] to the number of those who propose to admire it. -

It is quite dull in places owing to the paint having sunken in - until it is varnished it will hardly look as it really is - a fine thing.' ⁸

Images

Subject

Titles

Minor variations on the title have been suggested:

• 'Arrangement in Flesh Colour & Brown, Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy. of Chicago.' (1894, Whistler). ⁹
• 'An Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown' (1904, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia). ¹⁰
• 'Arthur J. Eddy' (1922, Art Institute of Chicago). ¹¹
• 'Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy' (1980, YMSM). ¹²

'Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy' is the preferred title.

In this catalogue raisonné Whistler's title or the first published title is retained, wherever possible. Whistler’s use of “flesh colour” to describe colour, as here, implies a racist presumption that skin tone is defined as 'white' or Caucasian.

Description

Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy, Art Institute of Chicago

A full-length life-size portrait of a man, in vertical format. He is in three-quarter view to right, but faces the viewer. He has neat dark blonde hair parted just to (his) left of centre, and a very modest moustache. He wears a long black caped overcoat over a grey suit. His left hand is not seen but was apparently holding a rolled sheet of paper; his right hand holds beige gloves, and a glossy black hat with a narrow brim and high rounded crown.

Sitter

Arthur J. Eddy, photograph, Art Institute of Chicago

The Chicago lawyer, writer and collector of modern art, Arthur Jerome Eddy (1859-1920), wrote a book on Whistler, Recollections and Impressions of James A. McNeill Whistler (Philadelphia & London 1903). He also wrote several books on tariffs, law, and farming. As a writer and collector he made an important contribution to the introduction of cubism and abstraction in America. He bequeathed his collection to the Art Institute of Chicago.

He wrote of Whistler:

'In the clearness of his vision and the faithfulness with which he painted the things and people with which he came in contact, Whistler was an Impressionist - an Impressionist long before Monet, but in his search after color and line music, in his attempts to do things beyond and above nature, he was a Post-Impressionist.' ¹³

There were mixed views from family and friends as to whether the portrait actually looked like Eddy, as he admitted to Whistler:

'As to the likeness, some think it subtle and perfect - others say they see more of you in it than of me - to those I simply say "Such is the fate of all who have portraits painted by J. McNeill Whistler". It is amusing to hear the comments - it is still more amusing to hear people say they like it simply (I know) because it is a Whistler.' ¹⁴

Comments

In 1931 Daniel Caton Rich described the portrait as 'a full length and very beautiful portrait of [Eddy] by Whistler, painted about 1896 in the artist's most silvery and subtle tints.' ¹⁵

The Art Institute of Chicago website discusses Whistler's portraits:

'Sensitive and understated in their characterization of sitters, his portraits were also conceived as compositions of subtle color and form, as the first part of the title of the Art Institute’s work, Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown.

This portrait depicts the lawyer Arthur Jerome Eddy. Eddy asked Whistler to paint his likeness after seeing the artist’s work in the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893. Eddy traveled to Whistler’s Paris studio, where the two apparently formed a lasting friendship ...

In the portrait, Whistler used a muted palette and placed his subject against a subdued, gray background. Eddy commented on the artist’s technique: "It was as if the portrait were hidden within the canvas and the master by passing his wand day after day over the surface evoked the image." ' ¹⁶

Technique

Technique

Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy, Art Institute of Chicago

The medium and technique have been analysed by Kimberley Muir at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was thinly painted on a coarse plain-weave canvas, the threads being uneven in thickness. The ground is grey, primarily calcium carbonate and black, and was probably absorbent; the pigments used in the portrait include lead white, iron oxide or earth pigments, umber, cobalt blue, vermilion, and bone black. ¹⁷

There are signs of pentimenti, particularly around the head and shoulders. At one time, the figure may have been slightly higher up on the canvas, and the paper in his left hand was moved more than once, and was also higher; furthermore his right arm and shoulder were slightly further to left. The whole canvas is thinly painted, and rubbed and scraped lightly as part of the painting process. The bottom of the coat, trousers and shoes have been partly outlined in black to distinguish them from the brown floor. There are signs of reworking and rubbing down and repainting around the head. The face itself is carefully modelled, the brushstrokes for the eyes and mouth appearing surprisingly fresh and spontaneous.

Conservation History

The conservation and condition of the painting are discussed by Kimberley Muir in the Art Institute of Chicago online catalogue. Muir writes:

'Whistler’s dark palette and his likely use of a resinous painting medium, combined with residues of yellowed natural-resin varnish on the surface, have probably contributed to a degree of overall darkening of the image … The painting is in good condition overall. The original canvas is weak and deteriorated around the edges, with some small tears and holes at the corners. The strip lining, loose lining, and a padded insert help to reinforce the canvas.' ¹⁸

It is difficult to tell whether the current condition of the painting is due to the artist's painting processes or subsequent treatment. There are minor abrasions and paint loss, and some retouching, and the painting now has a semigloss surface finish.

Frame

1894/1895: it was probably framed in America shortly after it was bought by the sitter. ¹⁹

Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy, Art Institute of Chicago

History

Provenance

• 1894: bought by Arthur Jerome Eddy (1859-1920), Chicago;
• 1920: bequeathed to his widow, Lucy Crapo Orrell Eddy (1863-1931), and their son, Jerome Orrell Eddy (1891-1951), Chicago;
• 1931: given by them to the Art Institute of Chicago, Arthur J. Eddy Memorial Collection.

Eddy paid Whistler a total of 350 guineas in two instalments. ²⁰ Whistler thanked him, writing:

'It was very kind and nice of you to send me your cheque - which I received all right - and many thanks -

You have been charming in all your relations with me - and "on ne peut plus grand Seigneur"!' ²¹

On 4 October 1895 Eddy offered to go to Paris if Whistler wanted to paint on the portrait again. ²²

Exhibitions

• 1904: 73rd Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1904 (cat. no. 31) as 'An Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown'.
• 1904: Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 18) as 'An Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown'.

Whistler Memorial Exhibition, Boston, 1904, photograph, GUL Whistler PH6/21

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime. The photograph above shows it on exhibition in Boston in 1904.

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. 425), plate 262, as 'Arrangement in Flesh Colour and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy'.

Authored by Whistler

• None.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• 73rd Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1904 (cat. no. 31) as 'An Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown'.
• Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Society, Boston, 1904 (cat. no. 18) as 'An Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown'.

Journals 1855-1905

• None.

Monographs

• None.

Books on Whistler

• Cary, Elizabeth Luther, The Works of James McNeill Whistler: A Study, with a Tentative List of Artist’s Works, New York, 1907 (cat. no. 18).
• Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Life of James McNeill Whistler, 2 vols, London and Philadelphia, 1908, vol. 2, p. 156.
• Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Whistler Journal, Philadelphia, 1921, repr. f.p. 240.
• Spencer, Robin, Whistler, New York, 1990, pp. 132-33.
• Sutherland, Daniel E., Whistler: A Life for Art's Sake, New Haven and London, 2014, p. 279.
• Sutton, Denys, Nocturne: The Art of James McNeill Whistler, London, 1963, p. 128.
• Sutton, Denys, James McNeill Whistler: Paintings, Etchings, Pastels and Watercolours, London, 1966, p. 196, pl. 122.
• Way, Thomas Robert, Memories of James McNeill Whistler, the Artist, London and New York, 1912, pp. 99-100.

Books, General

• Barter, Judith A., Kimberly Rhodes, and Seth A. Thayer, American Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago: From Colonial Times to World War I, Chicago, 1998, pp. 302-04 (cat. no. 154).
• Paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago, Highlights of the Collection, Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2017, p. 63.

Catalogues 1906-Present

EXHIBITIONS:

• American Oil Paintings and Sculpture, 20th Annual Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, 1907 (cat. no. 435) 'Portrait of a Gentleman'.
• Loan Portrait Exhibition, The Arts Club of Chicago, 1918 (cat. no. 36).
• Exhibition of Paintings from the Collection of the Late Arthur Jerome Eddy, Art Institute of Chicago, 1922 (cat. no. 66) as 'Arthur J. Eddy'.
• The Arthur Jerome Eddy Collection of Modern Paintings and Sculpture, Art Institute of Chicago, 1931 (cat. no. 19) as 'Portrait of Arthur Jerome Eddy', repr. frontispiece.
• Sweet, Frederick A. (ed.), Sargent, Whistler and Mary Cassatt, Art Institute of Chicago and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1954 (cat. no. 119) as 'Arthur Jerome Eddy'.
• Sweet, Frederick A., James McNeill Whistler, Art Institute of Chicago and Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, 1968 (cat. no. 41) as 'Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy'.
• Merrill, Linda, et al., After Whistler: The Artist and His Influence on American Painting, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, 2003, pp. 122-25, 186 (cat. no. 10, shown in Detroit only) as 'Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown: Portrait of Arthur J. Eddy'.
• Whistler's Mother: An American Icon Returns to Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, 2017 (no catalogue).
• John Singer Sargent and Chicago’s Gilded Age, Art Institute of Chicago, 2018 (cat. no. 91).

Journals 1906-Present

• Museum Accessions, American Magazine of Art, 1932, repr.
• Hanks, David, 'American paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago', Part 2, The Magazine Antiques, November 1973, pp. 895-905, repr. p. 903.
• Sweet, Frederick A., 'Great Chicago Collectors', Apollo, vol. 84, September 1966, pp. 190-207, at pp. 196-97.

Websites

• Art Institute of Chicago website at www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/8958 (acc. 2019).
• Clarke, Jay A., and Sarah Kelly Oehler, eds., Whistler Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2020, website.
• Strother, Stephanie L., 'Cat. 35 Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown: Portrait of Arthur Jerome Eddy, 1894: Curatorial Entry,' in Whistler Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2020, URL.
• Muir, Kimberley, 'Cat. 35 Arrangement in Flesh Color and Brown: Portrait of Arthur Jerome Eddy, 1894: Technical Summary,' in Whistler Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2020, URL.

Unpublished

• Revillon, Joseph Whistler, Draft Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings of J. McN. Whistler, [ca 1945-1955], Glasgow University Library (cat. no. 211).

Other

• None.