The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-20
His REVERENCE; BY WHISTLER
PORTRAIT OF CANFIELD PER-
MAPS THE ARTISTS LAST.


SARATOGA, July 10.-The last portrait
painted by James McNeil Whistler was
called by him His Reverence 1t is the
head and bust Of smooth-faced, dark
eyed, dark-haired man about 40 years old,
and the original is Richard A. Garfield. He
was the last person who sat to Whistler.
Whistler gave Garfield the last sitting
on the afternoon of May Is, in the studio
OF his London residence at "A Cheyne Walk,
Chelsea, and the portrait was finished
some time last month 1t is supposed to
be resting now on the easel on which it
was painted in the dead artists studio.
Whether or not it has been labelled "His
Reverence" is not known, but that is what
Whistler said il must be called as being
suggestive of the face and garb Of his sub
ject-the gambler.
Mr.. Garfield is here, having arrived last
Tuesday. BY force of circumstances over
which he had no CONTROL this soldier Of
fortune and patron of art ia compelled to
be just plain restaurant keeper this
summer. The only part of the famous
Saratoga Club that is open this year is that
which coInprehends the reading, writing
and reception rooms, the cafe and new
restaurant, completed few weeks ago
after plans Of Clarence Luce, the New York
architect. at a cost OF nearly 500, 900. 1t
is certainly beautiful dining room. but
as Garfield takes you through 1t and points
to this or that piece of statuary that he
picked up in Europe to lend artistic beauty
to the natural beauty Of the gardens which
the restaurant windows overlook, he
shrngs his broad shoulders and says:
Now that l am here and see what a
beautiful place my architect and landscape
gardener have given me. it all strikes me
as rather absurd, for I am no restaurant
keeper, You know, and l don't think /
could make great success al the business. v
This subject OF Whistler's last portrait
sat in the club smoking room this afternoon
and talked with THE SUN correspondent
about the artist who was his friend for
many years, and about his last work. He
said:
when Whistler died good man, a great
artist and, in his own way, the most intense
American | ever knew. passed away. He
gave me my first sitting for the portrait
in the spring of 1902, just after he closed his
studio in Paris and returned to London.
He gave me several sittngs, and then as I
had to come home, the work was laid aside
until | should return to London the fol-
| lowing year.
Il had my first sitting on New Years
| day Of this year. | was almost startled
| when Whistler walked into the studio to
greet me. He had changed greatly in the
twelve months that bad passed since ! last
saw him and he looked really i'll. | COM
| mented on his appearance, but his reply
showed that he was very sensitive on that
score, and so ever after that |, as did all
| his friends, told him he looked stronger
| and better every time | saw him.
Il see by the London dispatches that
there is some speculation there az to the
| disease that carried him OF, owing to the
reticence of the family. Among those who
knew him we'll there is no doubt as to the
cause Of death They know that it was
heart disease. He discovered that no had
weak heart in Holland last year when he
was there with Col. Charles l.. Freer of
Detroit who has, by the way, the finest
and most complete collection OF Whistler's
| etchings in the world. All told, Whistler
made about 200 etchings. and Of that num-
Der Col Freer has copies of all but five
or six.
After | had that first sitting on New
Years day, saw Whistler every day until
the day / sailed for New York. which was
on May 49, He was not able to work, how
ever. on all those days. In fact, there were
DAYS at time when he could do nothing
but lie on couch and talk, as only Whistler
could talk, about those things which in
terested him. IL was mostly OF art and Of
artists that he conversed. but now and
again he would revert TO his younger days
at home. 10 tie greatness 10 which the
Republic had attained. and to his wears at
West Point
in spite OF all that has been said of him
know that James Mcneil Whistler was
| one OF the intensest Americans VINO ever
lived He was not what vou call an en-
thusiastic man hut when he reverted to the
old days at the Military Academy his en-
| thusasm was infectious. | think he was
really prouder Of the years he spent there,
| three, ! think they were, than any other
wears Of his life. He never tired of telling
of the splendid men and soldiers his class
| mates turned oW to be, and he has often
! said to me that the American army officer
| trained at West Point, was the finest speci-
| if1en Of manhood and Of honor in the
world.
1T was in this way that spent every
afternoon with Whistler, from New Years
| until May Is, the day before sailed When
| he was able to work would sit AZ was told
| and then he would paint. sometimes an
hour, sometimes three. Al 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 ing 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.
$50 went around to his studio and he
painted until well into the late afternoon.
| When he was done he said that with touch
| or two here and there the picture might he
| considered finished. Then he added;
You are going home tomorrow, to my
home AZ well az 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 il, and
maybe there won't be any work in me when
you come back. believe would rather
like to think OF you having this clerical
gentleman in your collection, for I have a
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
told him, more to get the notion, if he had
it, out OF his mind than anything else, that
| would not think Of taking the picture
and that, if he didn't put on a one OF those
finishing touches until got back 80 much
the better, for then | could see him work.
That seemed to bring him back to himself
and he said:
:" 80 he it, your Reverence. Now we'll
say du rer0ir in q couple of mint j,leps'
He sent for the materials, mi de- The cups
and Just ~ the sun was setting, We CrG nix
to each other and the homeland and WI s