The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-25

In fact, there were days at a time
when he could do nothing but lie on a
couch and talk as only Whistler could
talk, about those things which interest
ed him. 1t was mostly of art and of
artists that he conVersed, but now and
again he would revert to his younger
days at home, to the greatness to
which the republic had attained, and to
his years at West Point.
"In spite of all that has been said
of him 1 know that James MCNEIL
Whistler was one of the intensest
Americans who ever lived. He was
not what you call an enthusiastic man
but when he reverted to the old days
at the military academy his enthus-
iasm was infectious. l think he was
really prouder of the years he spent
| there, three l think they were, than
any other years of his life. He never
tired of telling of the splendid men
and soldiers his classmates turned out
to be- and he has often said to me that
the American army officer, trained at
West Point, was the finest specimen
of manhood and of honor in the world.
at was in this way that / spent
every afternoon with Whistler, from
New Years until May Is, the day be-
fore I sailed. When he was able to
work l would sit as / was told and
then he would paint, sometimes an
hour, sometimes three. At other times,
he would lie on the couch and ask me
to sit by and talk to him. On the
morning of the day of the last sitting
he sent me a note asking me to take
luncheon with him and adding that he
felt quite himself and UP to plenty of
work.
80 I went around to his studio and
he painted until well into the late aft
ernoon. When he was done he said
that with a touch or two here and
there the picture might be considered
finished. Then he added:
"'You are going home tomorrow, to
my home as well as yours, and you
won't be coming back till the autumn.
I've just been thinking that. maybe,
you'd better take the picture along
with you. His Reverence" will do
very well as he is, and maybe there
won't be any work in me when you
come back. l believe I would rather
like to think of you having this clerical
gentleman in your collection, for
have notion that it's the best work
/ have done
whistler had never talked that way
before and / have since thought that
he was thinking that the end was not
far away. l told him, more to get the
notion, if he had 1t, out of his mind
than anything else, that / would not
think of taking the picture and that,
If he didn't put on one of those FIN
ishing touches until l got back, 80
much the better, for then / could see
him work. That seemed to bring him
back to himself and he said:
SO be it, your reverence. Now We'll
say au revoir in a couple of mint ju-
1eps.' He sent for the materials, made
the cups and. just as the sun was set
ting, we drank to each other and the
homeland and l was off to catch
train for Liverpool and the steamer. So
it was that Whistler and his last sub
iect parted The finishing touches
were put on a little while afterward
and the portrait of His Reverence is,
l suppose, in the studio of the quaint
old house by the bank of the Thames.
81 don't think it is generally known
that some of Whistler's best canvases
are owned in this country. Col Freer
has, besides the etchings, The Thames
in Ice 'Trouville,' and The Balcony
The Philadelphia Academy has the
portrait of Lady Archie Campbell, and
Mr.. Whittemore of Naugatuck,
Conn, owns The White Girl and In
Andalusia' The Pittsburg Academy
has his famous portrait of Senior Sara
safe, and the Boston Museum has his
Blacksmith l am fortunate to own
his portrait of Count Robert de Mon
tesquiou, which was painted for the
Louvre, and the full length portrait
Of Rosa Corridor, the betrothed of
George Augustus Howell, who was the
private secretary of Ruskin and,
think, of Rossetti. These and a few
etchings are in my home in Provi-
dence.
"whistler's home life was delightful.