Identifier: jamesmcnei00penn (find matches)
Title: Life of James McNeill Whistler,
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Pennell, Elizabeth Robins,
Subjects: American Art
Publisher: J. B. Lippincott company
Contributing Library: Whitney Museum of American Art, Frances Mulhall Achilles Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Metropolitan New York Library Council - METRO

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had the Committee known it was the picture he wished destroyedit never would have been exhibited by the International Society. In the summer of 1892 Whistler was invited by the Duke of Argyllto contribute to the British Section at the Worlds Columbian Expositionto be held in Chicago the following year, and the picture mentionedfor the purpose was the Carlyle. The portrait had been skied in acorner the previous winter at the Victorian Exhibition in the NewGallery, of which Mr. J. W. Beck was Secretary, as he was now of theFine Arts Committee for Chicago. Whistler wrote to Mr. Beck, send-ing his distinguished consideration to the Duke and the President(Leighton) with the assurance that I have an undefined sense ofsomething ominously flattering occurring, but that no previous desireon his part ever to deal with work of mine has prepared me with theproper form of acknowledgment. No, no, Mr. Beck ! Once hung,twice shy ! When the letter was sent to the papers and printers made sky 304 (1892
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THE YELLOW BUSKINARRANGEMENT IN BLACK OIL In the Wilstach Collection, Memorial Hall, Philadelphia(See page 213) The Turn of the Tide of the shy Whistler was enchanted. Mr. Smalley told the story ofthe invitation in the Times, after Whistlers death, under the impres-sion that he had been invited to show at Burlington House. ThatWhistler never was invited to show anything there we know, and wehave the further testimony of Sir Fred Eaton, Secretary of the Academy,that No such proposal as Mr. Smalley speaks of was ever made toMr. Whistler, and it is difficult to understand on what grounds hemade such a statement. It is an amusing coincidence that this would seem to be confirmedby the fate of a letter addressed to Whistler, The Academy,England, which, after having gone to the newspaper of that name,was next sent to Burlington House, and, finally, reached Whistlerwith Not known at the R.A., written on the cover. Here was oneof the little incidents that Whistler called the droll things of th

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