New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-04
4 NEW WHISTLER.
The Portrait Which His EreCHtric
Wishes Suppressed.

A pretty little tempest in a teapot has lately
been brewed in London by the discovery OF .
certain etching Of WhistIer's. II seems that
when he was painting portrait of Mr. Robert
Barr. the novelist, in 1894. he also made
etching of that individual Whistler work
ing at the time in studio lent To him by Mr.
Walter Sickert and he gave to him the plate n
question. It was lost to sight until the other
day when the owner put it in the hands Of the
Messrs- Baltic, who have announced that they
will shortly publish an edition limited 10 forty
five impressions The plate viii then be de-
stroyed Whistler's exeeutFix, Miss f. Birnis
Philip, promptly writes to The London Times
saying:
have not seen the plate Nor have seen l 5as
we're Mr.. Whstier's wlsnes regara TO the plates
gI5 eS ~ h broiss1 1s sa 4s th s to %
Mr.. Whistler 1eft all his etc lIns plates in NJ
care, with Instructions that thu sreater part x
So T prin n n %er To 5 fssn as Mr. Whis5er t
sidered that d plate required rs personal super
vision in order To obtain really beautiful impress
sIons.
That Mr.. WhstIer's njunctions 10 ms applied
equally TO the plate which II IS now inJsRded -
sickert has any resard ior ne last wishes ct ne
not allow any prints 10 Be made from IT,
Miss Philip had her way when she carried tbs
matter of Whistiers letters into court. and 50
far established control over them that, while
their substance remained at the service OF his
authorized biographers. the latter were forbid
den 10 print. word for word. the correspondence
in their possession Whether she may succeed
not in suppressins the etching of Mr.. Barr r.
mains to be seen. In the mean time Mr.. Sicke.r
has also written 20 The Times replying -
Miss Philips objections follows,
is not without some Iesret that Z nud myself
your columns Saturday. WITH !. Ir.uS.,l ygLlol
must appear unsIaeious, ana which, Is certainly IN
tefested MI WhlStlsgS Instructions a. 10 80
plates ne left Miss fhtIp, plates walcu haa
plate h. gave
eG @ b' T6 SaSr sroy il Ss s'SS on
commit an act OF vandalism. Il is, further. vx-
eellent likeness of a DISTINGUISHED compalriot OF
S Mf, frisns5ic iT pd N1h mr. "h'7gg ASa i
pendent on the artists own printing. were sor
the little Venice. where tone had TO be. 10
My apprenticeship to Whistler. in etching and a
the printing OF etchRgs goes pack 90 1ss5-that ls
the spirited and practised hand that traced r5s
lines on the plate We are discussing traced them
for seIf-interSst-s thai the letS sb,,I Sxist s1i
that IL aGds an interesting item % the sum - hys
etched work.
1t is a nice question for the casulst- The erass
WhiStierian. avid Of every scrap left by the mas
ter and obsessed by a passion for complete
ness" could not hesitate for a moment as -
Itch side to take In the controversy. He voui
argue that the artist had simply forgettep a1
about the 20 trait OF AR Barr when be Eays
Miss Philip her instructions about his stchirSs.
and that wcrS of genius should not bc allowed
to die II is highly inrvohable, However. ,hst
Whistler wou!l have neglected an etching n hts
for fourteen years and finally have allowed u to
slip altogether out of his mind. II he had eouSid
cred II one OF his masterpieces