Portrait of James McNeill Whistler

Walter Greaves British
Sitter James McNeill Whistler American

Not on view

The wordly American painter James Abbot McNeill Whistler, sporting his characteristic monocle and garbed in a floppy hat, elegant overcoat and fancy shoes adorned with conspicuous bows, assumes something of the aspect of a dandy in this portrait by the British painter and draftsman Walter Greaves. What appears to be a walking stick proffered by the posturing artist may in fact be a mahlstick (a tool used by artists to work on a canvas without getting to close to its surface and smearing the paint). A one-time associate and collaborator, Greaves was later rebuffed by Whistler and died in poverty and oblivion. This portrait was made shortly before the rupture.

Portrait of James McNeill Whistler, Walter Greaves (British, London 1841–1930 London), Pen and ink, brush and wash, over graphite

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