New-York tribune., 1908-12-08
WHISTLER ONCE MORE.
His Posthumous Protest against
The Modern Biographer.


In the Eiysian Fields Mr. Whistler must be
chuckling softly to himself. He dearly loved a
quarrel, and now that he has gone his name
continues TO be a cause Of wranglng Atten-
ton was called in The Tribune about a month
ago to the tempest in a teapot raised in London
by the discovery Of portrait which he had
etched Of Robert Barr, the novelist. Mr.. Walter
Siekert' the owner OF the plate, announced that
an edition of fOrty-five Impressions was to be
printed from it, Whistler's exeeutrix, Miss R.
Birnie Philip. thereupou wrote to THE London
Tines suggesting that. # the instructions given
70 her by the artist about the plates left in her
possession were appreciated by Mr.. siczert he
would suppress the particular etching in his
hands. At last accounts he had declined to take
the hint Another controversy has since arisen,
over the Interesting biography Of Whistler, pre-
pared with his authority by Mr.. and Mrs Joseph
Penneu. Writing again to The London Times
Miss Birnie Philip makes some pointed COM
ments on the book. and cites Whistler himself
on the subject of biographers
Some argument over this memoir was to be
expected As was stated in the review pub
hshed In The Tribune on November 10, the
Pencils have made a book in which Whistler
himself would have delighted, and, for the facts
alone which it contains, it must remain iadis-
pensable. But also noted the biogra-
pliers chose TO indulge il rather unsympathetic
they can hardly expect to escape retorts from
some II not all Of the persons in question Miss
Birnie Philip is the first in the field. Her letter
runs follows:
do not wish to point out the many inaccuracies
TniGn MT and Mrs PenneHs work contains, DO
fair attacks made IN il upon my family my
always, what we're my reasons for withhoIdipg
my M MP7E1fsl0n al11G 10 to Print Mr. Wnistlers letters
say that practically the only refusal help in
from WhistIer's heir and execuIrlx who not only
withheld such assistance as she might have given
refusal was due 10 the fact that only did Mr.
and Mrs. PenneI to write mis- life but that he
more more Lhsn once exPressy and definitely told me
lL71t ne qld not WISH his NE ever to be written
More than this, he stated his objections to biog-
4 1sl.s ~ o-i-o[I ~ ne Lo'AoN'Hs
Determined that no mendacious scamp shall tell
the foolish truths about me when centuries have
he pGp Who Would sell TIE souI Of his s ssteT P G
uator by Immediately furnishing myself the fiction
OF OF my own biography, which shall remain, and is
CuriousIy, too. find no grief in noting the clos
ing Of more than one nliddle-aged eye that had
view to future foolseap improved upon slight init
How tresone indeed are the Griswolds Of this
world-and how offensive. Flnning their unimportanr
the intercepted wash. They go down to Posterity
with their impudent BILL and Posterity accepts and
remembers -TeIneIoeTS them as the unreQuted benefactors Of
Again. the authors say that ''whistIer's illness
vas an inevitable interruption 70 the book in which
his enthusiasm eQuaIed ours Here they at
variance with the publisher who. in his evidence
in the proceedings which brought 10 restrain the
that Ar WhistleT's consent TO the writing OF the
book obtained IN 1900. only after years of
badgerinE-" submit that -'badEered consent is
a very different thing from an enthusiasm equal
I am not AIr. Whistlers heir" as Mr.. and Mrs
Penneu assert, but the sole eXeCutrix and residU-
airy legatee under his will L Is suggested il the
Life" that I appointed eXecutriX by Mr..
his wife. who was my sister in 1896 but fact
the provisions Of the viii made in 1885 fully
confirmed by codiCIl made seven years afterward
in 1903, and il neither Cf these documents IS there
contrary, everything was left TO me and 10 my
discretion
In conclusion have TO say that certain clear in
EtrucJions were given TO and these I hold IL
my duty TO carry out am y0ITs 2be6ieqtly
1Os. AIbert-bridge-road, s W. Nov. IS
Every one interested IN Whistlers career viii
await with lively curiosity those letters and
other data which Miss Birnie Philip is expected
TO publish He original and witty cor
respondent If ever there was one, taking pains
even with the composition of a postal card. Miss
Birnie Philips work cannot invalidate the Pen
nell biography. but II should most usefuIIy sup
plement it. Possibly she viii be aided by those
friends Of Whistlers TO whom the illusions in
the Penneu book mentioned above are made,
Nj c. /. Freer, Mr.. r. A Garfield Mr.. F.
Hopkinson Smith. Nr W. NJ Chase and MT.
Walter Sickert.