The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-04-30
WHISTLER STORIES
AudaCity and Sarcasm of the E.
centric Genius.
THE FAMOUS PEACOCK ROOM

ftNt0S~ IHSS0N
"Jimmie's" Offhand Hospitality, at His
Patrons Expense, While Decorating
It, the Clash 1t Led to and the Way
the Artist Squared Accounts.
In Mrs. Alec Tweedie's Thirteen
Years of Busy Woman's Life" she
tells this story of Whistler, which she
heard at first hand:
1.-THE famous peacock room at
Princes Gate was wonderful scheme
of decoration, peacocks eyes on gold
ground being its principal motif. About
the year 1880 the late Mr.. Leyland, q
wealthy shipowner and patron Of the
arts. had taken this grand new man
sion and asked Whistler to decorate
a room. Jimmy, poor and out at ell
bows as usual, jumped at the idea,
but no terms were fixed upon. The
work began. It was q prodigious I'M
dertaking, and the extraordinary and
cratic little man gave it his whole
time.
Being at Princes Gate all day and
having the run Of Leyland's house.
Whistler had hospitable way Of in
viting his friends to come and see the
room and then he would ask them to
stop to luncheon. This sort of thing.
which began occasionally, ended in
being an almost daily occurrence. and
Jimmy used to hold little levee every
morning, when three. four or five peo-
pie remained to Luncheon. This became
too much for Mr.. Leyland, and his plan
for putting an end to the campaign
was q somewhat ingenious one.
Jimmy one day entertained four
friends. The meal not being announc-
ed, he rang the bell for the butler.
when is lunch?' he asked.
81 have no orders for lunch.' replied
the man, with stately air.
".Oh, no, of course replied Jimmy,
not in the least disconnected. Wen
go along to such and such hotel.
Stupid of me to forget it.
But it was enough, and, though he
pretended not to mind and with that
delightful impudence for which he was
famous turned it off, he never forgave
the incident and determined to pay
Leyland out. From that day he took
his own lunch in little paper parcel
and sat and devoured 1t when so in
clined. On the next occasion Leyland
came in to admire the peacock decora-
tons about the usual luncheon hour.
"'You will have some lunch. won't
your Whistler said. Leyland looked
surprised.
up jumped Jimmy, fetched his bag
and proceeded to unite his parcels, say
ing: It's all right, old chap; have no
anxiety. 1t is my lunch. not yours.
and you are heartily welcome to it.
when the work was accomplished
which had taken so long Leyland wish
ed to pay the bill and asked the artist
what was his figure. i have worked
a whole year and more Whistler said.
L consider my services are worth e.
600 a year, therefore the figure is e.
500, from which you can deduct the
few hundreds you have given me on
account
"Leyland was Mortified. 'Preposter-
ous.' he said. perfectly preposterous!
Jimmy looked at him and drew him
self up to his full height, which was
not great. 1 beg. Mr.. Leyland. that
you will accept as gift the entire
work of my life for the last year and a
quarter. l can compromise nothing
"Once again Whistler scored and
Leyland paid. Whistler's thanks to his
patron afterward took the form OF
painting life size portrait Of him as
a devil with horns and hoofs."
Sir e. j. Poynter, P. r. A.. says the
New York Sun, told in an interview
how when he was studying in Paris
for three or four years there was one
little artistic group called 'Trilby."
He says: q
my companions were Whistler. Du
Maurier, Val Prinsep, Lamont, Thorn
as and Armstrong. OF course Du
Maurier altered the thing good deal.
but his picture of studio life was In
the main a truthful representation Of
our life at that time. Trilby herself,
believe, was pure product Of the au-
thor'S brain.
'In many ways the most remarkable
man among us was Whistler. If he
had only had energy there is no know
ing to what height he might have
scared. but he was incorrigibly lazy.
l remember visiting him once at q
nursing home in Paris. He had been
working a little on study in pink
carnations. 1t was exquisite from the
extraordinary sense Of color it dis
played. This was his great gift. He
excelled every painter ever known In
purity and delicacy Of c0loring. He
rarely finished any work, but he loved
to pretend, just for fun, that his un-
finished studies were perfect works
of genius. Then he would chuckle
when people took him at his word and
declared that the very incompleteness
of the sketches constituted their great