The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-01
WHISTLER'S VERSION.
He Tells the story of the Quarrel
About Lady Eden's Portrait.


London Saturday Review.
TEL you about it--why, certainly It's
delightful; they're all making copy for the
seco.d volume of my Gentle Art OF
course. III begin at the beginning, if you
insist rpm it. and sraveiy-yes, gravity's
the soul of humor. First of all, Mr.. Moore
came to me and told me about the Baronet.
a sors of humble confrere, don't you know,
who admired my work-becomingly. and
wanted to have something from my brush.
Any tie thing, however slight, mere
sketch of Lady Eden, something that could
be done in sitting or two, don't you
know. AS for the price-well the Baronet
was gentleman and MT Rothschld; he
couli afford 100 or 10 guineas for any little
thing. it needn't be much-just whatever
1 keel to throw off. / gave provisional
consent. Money didn't matter, of course; it
never does to the artist, don't you know,
though occasionally it makes a difference
to the ma.i-a secondary consideration in all
cases il I am en- ne and the subject
helps me. Ia due course of time l got
letter from the Baronet. the sort of letter
that mal who dressed every night for
dinner would write thanking me ana prais-
ing me, and-and something about terms.
and-and said that the terms We're leo or
$50 guineas. At the moment / was not in
the hurnor for pastels or water colors; oils
1.-The strong spell. don't you know, held me.
and began the portrait. The arrangement
pleased me, and l let myself go and took
Drafting it and finishing it, and@the Baronet
seemed delighted, don't you know, as the
sittings went on, and the thing. grew-be-
came confidential even, and confided to
that he'd had troubles with other painters;
and everything went well till the famous
he came up to me with a sort of attempt
at facetious familiarity, and gave me an
envelope and begged me not to open 1t
then-said 1t was a valentine for me. and
so on, and SO on. / took all this for the
baronetss AWKWARD way of being generous,
though my experience Is that awkward
ness usually goes with untimely thrift.
Sdll, don't you know, in spite of his being
Baronet. / hoped for the best and went
a check; the note was, Herewith the val
entine. value'-oh. yes! Value. flos.''
Then / a little puzzled. 1t seemed
to mea Southern gentleman, don't you
know, keenly alive to the finest suggestions
of honorabls colduct-that the price should
work. Had / given thcm my best, don't
you know, with love of the work, and de
meet or cs mas hnr oended u h
foolish, facetious way of telling me that
he Least ta value Put aRen my wf bro e
upon me. The. Baronet was. evidently. try
ing to score off me, as he had scored off the
dignity of art forbade. 1 sat down anc
wrote to him in this fashion: Dear Sir
William Edend have as;i received ayac your val a
have indeed scored all round, etc., etc.,
yours
thought by what he said that he was just
off to shoot in Central Africa; but next
morning he appeared in my studio IN brown
for Paris in the eyes of an Englishman.
laughed, and told him that L didn't think
he could be. don't you know, ha, Ia he
a o as and taons
inwardly enjoying the soft Impeachment,
treasured him-the only people l made ene-
don't you know-more or less worthy. Rus
kin and Oscar Wilde and Burne-Jones, ha.
ha, but never a baronet. He appealed TO
was the price agreed upon; but insisted
upon reading the letter and there the. fig
came the Raronets memorable reply: I
know that l have there a beautiful little
IS a DID fool who gives a larger price
one After that i felt that the incident.
persisted in spelling the situation by pro-
longing it, tediously repeating that he had
that / was in every way at his disposition,
ready to meet him if he SO desired; but no,
he preferred the iteration of his grievance.
and so moved awkwardly from remon-
STRANGE to expostulation, and at length Of
fersd to draw a check for me for the extra
50 guineasten ana tnsrs That was too
was closed, and conducted him, using all
courtesy, to the door. But how undignifed
they are these baronets. He went on talk
ing as We went down the stairs q looking
down upon him from yantase), declaring
that he had been ill-treated and insulted,
till / ventured to remind him that such abb
ject confessions on staircase would not
il overheard, increase the esteem when
would naturally be felt for gentleman Of
his rank i'm France. And Herewith exit the
baronet in his brown boots.
ibid l keep his check? OF course I kept
it: that's the point Of 1t. What else was
there for me to do Suppose i had returned
his check should have had to destroy the
portrait; l could not keep picture of his
wife. / should thus have lost my work and
he, having suffered no damage. would have
gone about saying: An impossible person.
Whistler, don't you know; all fads. and fan
cies. and whims 1 commissioned him to do
a picture of my wife, don't you know
price carefully agreed upon. knowing what
an extraordinary person he was-and after
he had finished 1t he returned me my check
An incalculable creature-no method in his
madness-doesn't score off anybody. No.
no. that must not be the issue resolved.
Il kept the check in order that the baro-
TO tell his story here in open court. I there
fore destroyed the portrait, but kept the
arrangement, an idea that surely belonged
to me- and got an American lady whom /
knew to sit for the face, and SO my work
was not lost. The artists work. you know.
dearer to him than life itself. remains, and
will remain. while the man. don't you know
the man has the satisfaction OF scoring
off the baronet. OF course l returned his
check in due course, and the French court
has just handed the picture over to me.
That rs where the matter stands at this
moment.
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