(Piker's earlier effort) so that you have the occasion of perceiving
how the progressive Piker party have gained in courage--until, in
direct contradiction to their first anxiety and hesitation, we reach
the final _overwhelming certainty_ of the three representative
gentlemen, whose visit to the Fine Art Society's rooms, it would _now_
appear, was absolutely to prove to the "blundering assistant" that
some etchings he had never seen, and, consequently never had
questioned;--of the very existence of which, in short, he was utterly
unconscious,--were by a Mr. Duveneck, of whom he had never heard, and
_not_ by Mr. Whistler!--a fact that in his whole life he had never
been in a position to dispute--and of which _the three Painter-Etchers
themselves were the only people_ who had ever had any doubt!
Really, they either doubted Duveneck, or they didn't doubt Duveneck!--Now,
if the Piker party didn't doubt Duveneck, who the devil did the Piker
party doubt? And why, may I ask, does Mr. Haden, _two days after_
the disastrous blunder in Bond Street, _volunteer_ the following note
of explanation to Mr. Brown, the assistant?--
(COPY.)
"38 HERTFORD STREET, MAYFAIR, W.
March 19, 1881.
"To Ernest Brown, Esq.--Dear Sir,--We know all about Mr. Frank
Duveneck, and are delighted to have his etchings.--Yours
faithfully,"
"F. SEYMOUR HADEN."
It will be remembered that the little expedition to the Fine Art
Society's Gallery took place on _Thursday evening, the 17th_ of March.
On Friday, the 18th, Mr. Huish wrote to Mr. Haden demanding an
explanation; and on _Saturday, the 19th_, this over-diplomatic and
criminating note was sent to Mr. Brown,--altogether unasked for, and
curiously difficult to excuse!--"Methinks, he doth protest too much!"
Further comment I believe to be unnecessary.
I refer you, Gentlemen, to my letter of March 29th, which Mr. Haden
has never been able to answer--and merely point out that, the
"blundering assistant" was the only one who did not blunder at
all--since he alone, refrained from folly, and, notwithstanding all
exhortation, steadily refused, in the presence of cunning
connoisseurs, to mistake the work of one man for that of another.
I have, Gentlemen, the honour to be,
Your obedient servant,
J. MCNEILL WHISTLER.
May 18, 1881.
TO THE COMMITTEE OF
THE PAINTER-ETCHERS' SOCIETY.
May I, without impertinence, ask what really does constitute the
"Painter-Etcher" "all round," as Piker has it?--for, of these three
gentlemen who have so markedly distinguished themselves in that
character, two certainly are not painters--and one doesn't etch!
[Illustration]
_A Correction_
[Sidenote: _The World_, Nov. 14, 1883.]
A supposititious conversation in _Punch_ brought about the following
interchange of telegrams:--
From Oscar Wilde, Exeter, to J. McNeill Whistler, Tite Street.--_Punch_
too ridiculous--when you and I are together we never talk about
anything except ourselves.
From Whistler, Tite Street, to Oscar Wilde, Exeter.--No, no, Oscar,
you forget--when you and I are together, we never talk about anything
except me.
[Illustration]
_A Warning_
[Sidenote: _The World_, June 1, 1881.]
[Sidenote: _REFLECTION:_
"A foolish man's foot is soon in his neighbour's house;
but a man of experience is ashamed of him."
[Illustration]]
My dear James,--I see from a weekly paper that your late residence,
the White House, in Tite Street, is now occupied by Mr. Harry Quilter,
"the excellent art critic and writer on art," or words to that effect.
This is the great man who has succeeded Mr. Tom Taylor on the _Times_,
and whose vagaries in art criticism you and I, my dear James, have
previously noticed....
ATLAS.
_Naïf Enfant_
[Sidenote: _The Times_, May 2, 1881.]
Close to this is another portrait of extreme interest, and, though of
another kind, it is not inappropriately near Mr. Hunt's work. This is
Mr. John Ruskin, painted by Mr. Herkomer. It is difficult to
dissociate this picture, as regards the merit of its painting, from
the interest which attaches to it as being the first oil portrait we
have ever seen of our great art critic.... The picture remains a
singularly fine one, and is, in our opinion, Mr. Herkomer's best
portrait.
_A Straight Tip_
[Sidenote: _The World_, May 18, 1881.]
"Ne pas confondre intelligence avec gendarmes"--but surely, dear
Atlas, when the art critic of the _Times_, suffering possibly from
chronic catarrh, is wafted in at the Grosvenor without guide or
compass, and cannot by mere sense of smell distinguish between oil and
water colour, he ought, like Mark Twain, "to inquire."
Had he asked the guardian or the fireman in the gallery, either might
have told him not to say that one of the chief interests of Mr.
Herkomer's large water-colour drawing of Mr. Ruskin "attaches to it as
being _the first oil portrait_ we have ever seen of our great art
critic"! Adieu.
[Illustration]
_An Eager Authority_
[Sidenote: _The World_, Feb. 9, 1881.]
Mr. Whistler knows how to defend himself so perkily that it is a
pleasure to attack him. I hasten, therefore, with joy, to submit to
you, dear Atlas, who are growing so very clever at your languages, the
following crotchets and quavers--shall I call them? for Mr. Whistler
is just now full of "notes"--in American-Italian; they are from his
delightful brown-paper catalogue. To begin with, "Santa Margharita" is
wrong; it must be either Margarita or Margherita; the other is
impossible Italian. Then who or what is "San Giovanni _Apostolo et
Evangelistæ_"? Does the sprightly and shrill McNeill mean this for
Latin? And is the "Café Orientale" intended to be French or Italian?
It has an _e_ too many for French, and an _f_ too few for Italian.
"Piazetta," furthermore, does duty for "Piazzetta." Finally I give up
"Campo Sta. Martin." I don't know what that can be. The Italian
Calendar has a San Martino and a Santa Martina, but Sta. Martin is
very curious. The catalogue is exceedingly short, but a few of the
names are right.
_An Admission_
[Sidenote: _The World_, Feb. 16, 1881]
Touché!--and my compliments to your "Correspondent," Atlas,
_chéri_--far from me to justify spelling of my own! But who could
possibly have supposed an orthographer loose! Evidently too "ung
vieulx qui a moult roulé en Palestine et aultres lieux!"
What it is to be prepared, though! Atlas, _mon pauvre ami_, you know
the story of the witness who, when asked how far he stood from the
spot where the deed was done, answered unhesitatingly--"Sixty-three
feet seven inches!" "How, sir," cried the prosecuting lawyer--"how can
you possibly pretend to such accuracy?" "Well," returned the man in
the box, "you see I thought some d----d fool would be sure to ask me,
and so I measured."
[Illustration]
_'Arry in the Grosvenor_
Atlas--In spite of the Kyrle Society, I don't appeal to the middle
classes; for I read in the _Times_ that 'Arry won't have me. I am
ranked with the _caviare_ of his betters, and add not to the relish of
his winkles and tea.
Also, why troubles he about many things?
[Sidenote: _The World_, May 17, 1882.]
But, alas! as is aptly remarked in one of the weekly papers, "'Arry
has taken to going to the Grosvenor;" and "ce n'est pas tout que
d'être honnête," he says, lightly paraphrasing Alfred de Musset, "il
faut être joli garçon!"
And so he blooms into an æsthete of his own order. To have seen him, O
my wise Atlas, was my privilege and my misery; for he stood under one
of my own "harmonies"--already with difficulty gasping its gentle
breath--himself an amazing "arrangement" in strong mustard-and-cress,
with bird's-eye belcher of Reckitt's blue; and then and
there destroyed absolutely, unintentionally, and once for all, my
year's work!
Atlas, shall these things be?
[Illustration]
_Encouragement_
_TO OSCAR ON HIS "TOUR."_
[Sidenote: _The World_, Feb. 15, 1882.]
Oscar--We, of Tite Street and Beaufort Gardens, joy in your triumphs
and delight in your success; but we are of opinion that, with the
exception of your epigrams, you talk like "S---- C---- in the
provinces"; and that, with the exception of your knee-breeches, you
dress like 'Arry Quilter.
Chelsea.
[Illustration]
_A Remonstrance_
Atlas, how could you!
[Sidenote: _The World_, Feb. 22, 1882.]
I know you carry the _World_ on your back, and am not surprised that
my note to Oscar, on its way, should have fallen from your shoulders
into your dainty fingers; but why present it in the state of puzzle?
Besides, your caution is one-sided and unfair; for if you print S----
C----, why not A---- Q----? Why not X Y Z at once?
And how unlike me! Instead of the frank recklessness which has
unfortunately become a characteristic, I am, for the first time,
disguised in careful timidity, and discharge my insinuating initials
from the ambush of innuendo.
My dear Atlas, if I may not always call a spade a spade, may I not
call a Slade Professor, Sidney Colvin?
[Illustration]
_Propositions_
[Sidenote: With compliments to the Committee of the
"Hoboken" Etching Club upon the occasion of receiving an
invitation to compete in an etching tourney whose first
condition was that the plate should be at least two feet
by three.
[Illustration]]
I. That in Art, it is criminal to go beyond the means used in its
exercise.
II. That the space to be covered should always be in proper relation
to the means used for covering it.
III. That in etching, the means used, or instrument employed, being
the finest possible point, the space to be covered should be small in
proportion.
IV. That all attempts to overstep the limits insisted upon by such
proportion, are inartistic thoroughly, and tend to reveal the paucity
of the means used, instead of concealing the same, as required by Art
in its refinement.
V. That the huge plate, therefore, is an offence--its undertaking an
unbecoming display of determination and ignorance--its accomplishment
a triumph of unthinking earnestness and uncontrolled energy--endowments
of the "duffer."
VI. That the custom of "Remarque" emanates from the amateur, and
reflects his foolish facility beyond the border of his picture, thus
testifying to his unscientific sense of its dignity.
VII. That it is odious.
VIII. That, indeed, there should be no margin on the proof to receive
such "Remarque."
IX. That the habit of margin, again, dates from the outsider, and
continues with the collector in his unreasoning connoisseurship--taking
curious pleasure in the quantity of paper.
X. That the picture ending where the frame begins, and, in the case of
the etching, the white mount, being inevitably, because of its colour,
the frame, the picture thus extends itself irrelevantly through the
margin to the mount.
XI. That wit of this kind would leave six inches of raw canvas between
the painting and its gold frame, to delight the purchaser with the
quality of the cloth.
[Illustration]
_An Unanswered Letter_
PRÉ CHARMOY, AUTUN,
SAÔNE ET LOIRE, FRANCE,
Sept. 13, 1867.
Sir--I am at present engaged upon a book on etching and should be glad
to give a full account of what you have done, but find a difficulty,
which is that, although I have seen many of your etchings, I have not
fully and fairly studied them. I wonder whether you would object to
lend me a set of proofs for a few weeks. As the book is already
advanced, I should be glad of an early reply. My opinion of your work
is, _on the whole, so favourable that your reputation could only gain_
by your affording me the opportunity of speaking of your work at
length.
I remain, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
P. G. HAMERTON.
JAMES WHISTLER, Esq.
_Inconsequences_
[Sidenote: The "book on etching."]
James Whistler is of American extraction, and studied painting in
France. As a student he was capricious and irregular, and did not
leave the impression amongst his fellow-pupils that his future would
be in any way distinguished ... his artistic education seems to have
been mainly acquired by private and independent study....
Mr. Whistler seems to be aware that etchings are usually sought as
much for their rarity as their excellence, and to have determined that
his own plates shall be rare already.
I have been told that, if application is made by letter to Mr.
Whistler for a set of his etchings, he may, perhaps, if he chooses to
answer the letter, do the applicant the favour to let him have a copy
for about the price of a good horse....
Whistler's etchings are not generally remarkable for poetical
feeling....
P. G. HAMERTON,[20]
_Etching and Etchers_.
[Note 20: "If beauty were the only province of art,
neither painters nor etchers would find anything to
occupy them in the foul stream that washes the London
wharfs"--P. G. HAMERTON, _Etching and Etchers_.]
_Uncovered Opinions_
Mr. Whistler's famous "Woman in White" is amongst the rejected
pictures.... The hangers must have thought her particularly ugly, for
they have given her a sort of place of honour, before an opening
through which all pass, so that nobody misses her.
I watched several parties, to see the impression the "Woman in White"
made on them. They all stopped instantly, struck with amazement. This
for two or three seconds; then they always looked at each other and
laughed.
Here, for once, I have the happiness to be quite of the popular way of
thinking.
[21]P. G. HAMERTON,
_Fine Arts Quarterly_.
[Note 21: "Corot is one of the most celebrated
landscape painters in France. The first impression of an
Englishman, on looking at his works, is that they are
the sketches of an amateur; it is difficult at first
sight to consider them the serious performances of an
artist.... I _understand Corot now_, and think his
reputation, if not well deserved, at least easily
accounted for.... Corot must be an early riser."--P. G.
HAMERTON, _Fine Arts Quarterly_.]
[Note 21: "Doré (Gustave Paul).... He is a great and
marvellous genius--a poet such as a nation produces once
in a thousand years. He is the most imaginative, the
profoundest, the most productive poet that has ever
sprung from the French race."--P. G. HAMERTON, _Fine
Arts Quarterly_.]
[Note 21: "Daubigny (Charles François).--If
landscape can be satisfactorily painted without either
drawing or colour--Daubigny is the man to do it."--P. G.
HAMERTON, _Fine Arts Quarterly_.]
[Note 21: "M. Courbet is looked upon as the
representative of Realism in France. The truth is that
Edouard Frère, the Bonheurs, and many others are to the
full as realistic as Courbet but they produce beautiful
pictures.... It is difficult to speak of Courbet,
without losing patience. Everything he touches becomes
unpleasant."--P. G. HAMERTON, _Fine Arts Quarterly_.]
_The Fate of an Anecdote_
_TO THE EDITOR:_
[Sidenote: _New York Tribune_, Sept. 12, 1880]
Sir--In _Scribner's Magazine_ for this month there appears an article
on Mr. Seymour Haden, the eminent surgeon etcher, by a Mr. Hamerton,
and in this article I have stumbled upon a curious statement
concerning, strangely enough, my own affairs, offered pleasantly in
the disguise of an anecdote habitually "narrated" by the Doctor
himself, and printed effectively in inverted commas, as here shown:
... "A parallel anecdote is narrated by Mr. Haden: 'The most exquisite
series of plates which Whistler ever did--his sixteen Thames
subjects--were originally printed by a steel-plate printer, and so
badly that the owner thought the plates were worn out, and sold them
for a small sum in comparison to their real worth. The purchaser took
them to Goulding, the best printer of etchings in England, and it was
found that they were not only perfect, but that they produced
impressions which had never before been approached even by
Delatre.'"
Putting gently aside the question of these plates being superior to
all previous or subsequent work, and dealing merely with facts, I have
to say that they were _not_ "originally printed by a steel-plate
printer"; that the impressions were _not_ so bad that the owner
thought the plates worn out; and, flattering as is the supposition
that they were sold for a small sum in comparison to their real worth,
I am obliged to reject even this palatable assertion, as I received
for the plates the price that I asked, knowing full well their exact
condition.
Instead of the "steel-plate printer," Delatre, then at his prime, had
himself printed these etchings--a fact which, amusingly enough, Mr.
Haden admits further on, in direct contradiction to his first broad
statement. Moreover, I had myself pulled proofs of them all; indeed,
one in the set of sixteen plates, a drypoint, called "The Forge" (for
by the way they were not all of the Thames), I alone printed. When the
plates left my hands they were _not_ "taken to Goulding," who at that
moment had, I fancy, barely begun his career as "the best printer of
etchings in England" (and a capital printer he certainly is); and it
was _not_ "found that they produced impressions never before approached
even by Delatre"--here we have the contradiction alluded to--no!
this theatrical denouement I must also put aside with sorrow.
The plates were brought out by Messrs. Ellis, who had them printed by
some one in London, whose work was certainly not to be compared to
that of Delatre, whom I should undoubtedly have recommended; so that
_it was only long after the sale had been completed and the plates had
ceased to be in my possession_, that inferior impressions were
produced.
The understanding on my part with those publishers was that the plates
were to be destroyed after one hundred impressions had been taken, but
very recently they reappeared, and were sold to their present
possessors, who _did_ take them to Mr. Goulding. And here I am obliged
to explain away the last element of astonishment, for Mr. Goulding
naturally found the etchings in their original perfect condition
simply because I had had them steeled in their full bloom when I had
satisfied myself by my own proofs.
Goulding's impressions of these plates are very excellent, but to say
they were quite unapproached by Delatre is not only needless
exaggeration, but an unkindness to Mr. Goulding.
Surely there must be some misunderstanding between Mr. Haden and his
biographer--a misdeal of data--an accident with the anecdotes--because
no one was more keenly alive to all relating to these plates and
their various states than Mr. Haden himself, whose strong sense of the
importance of printing was acquired while watching the progress of
these same plates, and the previous French set, as they were proved by
me and printed by Delatre, to whom I introduced him.
Far from me to spoil a good story; but for the life of me I cannot see
what any sympathizing _raconteur_ will regret in the destruction of
this mere jumble of statistics that Mr. Hamerton calls "Mr. Haden's
anecdote."
VENICE, Aug. 16, 1880.
[Illustration]
_In Excelsis_
Mr. Hamerton presents his compliments to Mr. Whistler, and begs to
inform him that he has read Mr. Whistler's very unbecoming and
improper letter in the _New York Tribune_.
Mr. Hamerton in his article in _Scribner's Monthly_ simply quoted a
passage from one of Mr. Haden's lectures on Etching, published in
Cassell's _Magazine of Art_; consequently Mr. Hamerton did not offer
matter to his readers under any disguise whatever. Mr. Hamerton has
answered Mr. Whistler's letter in the same journal in which it
appeared.
PRÉ CHARMOY, AUTUN, SAÔNE ET LOIRE,
Sept. 28, 1880.
_A Suspicion_
It is possibly too much to expect--upon the principle of "trumps not
turning up twice"--but Mr. Whistler does hope that Mr. Hamerton's
letter to the _New York Tribune_ will be as funny as his note to Mr.
Whistler, which has just been forwarded from London.
VENICE, Oct. 7.
CAFÉ FLORIAN, PLACE SAN MARC.
Pardon! Is Mr. Whistler right in supposing, from the droll little
irritation shown in Mr. Hamerton's note, that Mr. Hamerton is
perhaps--another "Art Critic"?
[Illustration]
_Conviction_
_TO THE EDITOR:_
[Sidenote: _New York Tribune_, Oct. 11, 1880.]
Sir--A friend in America has sent me the letter from Mr. Whistler
which refers to my article in _Scribner_ on Mr. Haden's etchings. The
letter begins as follows:
In _Scribner's Magazine_ for this month there appears an article on
Mr. Seymour Haden, the eminent surgeon etcher by a Mr. Hamerton, and
in this article I have stumbled upon a curious statement
concerning--strangely enough--my own affairs, offered pleasantly in
the disguise of an anecdote habitually 'narrated' by the Doctor
himself, and printed effectively in inverted commas, as here shown.
Here Mr. Whistler accuses me of disguising something which I chose to
tell, as if it came from Mr. Haden, by printing it in inverted commas.
The statement is "offered pleasantly in the disguise of an anecdote,"
and "printed effectively in inverted commas." I used inverted
commas because it is the custom to do so when making a quotation. I
quoted Mr. Haden's own words from one of his lectures on etching, and
they will be found printed, as I quoted them, in Cassell's _Magazine
of Art_. I beg to be permitted to observe that a writer who quotes a
passage, as I did, in perfect good faith, ought not to be accused of
offering matter in disguise. There was no disguise about it. Mr.
Haden's words may be compared with my quotation. Again, to prevent any
possible inaccuracy, a proof of the article in _Scribner_ was sent to
Mr. Haden before it was published.[22] It is scarcely necessary that I
should allude to Mr. Whistler's studied discourtesy in calling me "a
Mr. Hamerton." It does me no harm, but it is a breach of ordinary good
manners in speaking of a well-known writer!
[Note 22: _REFLECTION:_
Queen's evidence.]
[Sidenote: _REFLECTION:_
Q. E. D.
[Illustration]]
Yours obediently,
P. G. HAMERTON.
AUTUN, Sept. 29, 1880.
_MR. WHISTLER
AND
HIS CRITICS_
_A CATALOGUE_
[Illustration]
"Out of their own mouths shall ye judge them."
"Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?"
[Illustration]
_Etchings and Dry-points_
"His pictures form a dangerous precedent."
* * * * *
VENICE.
"Another crop of Mr. Whistler's little jokes."
_Truth._
1.--MURANO--GLASS FURNACE.
"Criticism is powerless here."--_Knowledge._
2.--DOORWAY AND VINE.
"He must not attempt to palm off his deficiencies upon us as
manifestations of power."
_Daily Telegraph._
3.--WHEELWRIGHT.
"Their charm depends not at all upon the technical qualities so
striking in his earlier work."
_St. James's Gazette._
4.--SAN BIAGIO.
"So far removed from any accepted canons of art as to be beyond the
understanding of an ordinary mortal."--_Observer._
5.--BEAD STRINGERS.
[Sidenote: _REFLECTION:_
"Et voilà comme on écrit l'histoire."
[Illustration]]
"'Impressionistes,' _and of these the various schools are represented
by_ Mr. Whistler, Mr. Spencer Stanhope, Mr. Walter Crane, and Mr.
Strudwick."
6.--FISH SHOP.
"Those who feel painfully the absence in these works of any feeling
for the past glories of Venice."
_'Arry in the Spectator._
"Whistler is eminently vulgar."--_Glasgow Herald._
7.--TURKEYS.
"They say very little to the mind."--_F. Wedmore._
"It is the artist's pleasure to have them there, and we can't help
it."--_Edinburgh Courant._
8.--NOCTURNE RIVA.
"The Nocturne is intended to convey an impression of night."--_P. G.
Hamerton._
"The subject did not admit of any drawing."
_P. G. Hamerton._
"We have seen a great many representations of Venetian skies, but
never saw one before consisting of brown smoke with clots of ink in
diagonal lines."
9.--FRUIT STALL.
"The historical or poetical associations of cities have little charm
for Mr. Whistler and no place in his art."
10.--SAN GIORGIO.
"An artist of incomplete performance."
_F. Wedmore._
11.--THE DYER.
"By having as little to do as possible with tone and light and shade,
Mr. Whistler evades great difficulties."--_P. G. Hamerton._
"All those theoretical principles of the art, of which we have heard
so much from Messrs. Haden, Hamerton(?)[23] and Lalauze, are
abandoned."
_St. James's Gazette._
[Note 23: "Calling me 'a Mr. Hamerton' does me no
harm--but it is a breach of ordinary good manners in
speaking of a well-known writer."
Yours obediently, P. G. HAMERTON.
Sept. 29, 1880. To the Editor of the _New York
Tribune_.]
12.--NOCTURNE PALACES.
"Pictures in darkness are contradictions in terms."
_Literary World._
13.--THE DOORWAY.