Evening star., 1934-10-21
Continued From Fourth Page.)

the touch Of motherly pride, "Deal
Jennie is practising the greatest SELF
sacrifice"
But engaging as are these 1rag-
ments, most interesting and important
Is the letter dated November 8, 1871
which tells OF the painting of the now
famous portrait of Mrs. Whistler
that masterpiece owned by the Louvre,
known to the world at large and be-
loved as an Interpretation OF old age
at its gentlest and Of motherhood
Whistler, it seems, had had occasion
for encouragement, from Wnlcn ne
turned to the production OF this WORK.
To his mothers great surprise, ne saio'
Mother, want you to stand Tor me.
It is what I have long intended ana
desired to do-to take your portrait
It was to have been q full-length,
standing portrait, we learn through
this letter. Despite feebleness OF
health she stood bravely for two or
three days" without murmur-"1 never
depress Jennie by complaints"-when
the plan was changed and he con-
kluded to paint her sitting perfectly
ut my ease"
With reference to the progress OF
the work Mrs. Whistler gives the fol-
lowing. never-to-be-forgotte descr1p-
ton: Jennie had no nervous fears In
bainting his mothers portrait, Tor II
was to please himself and not to be
paid for in other coin. Only at one or
two different points, when I heard
him calculate, No, can't get it right
tits impossible to do it as 1t ougn'
to be done-perfectly.' Oh, my CRATE
full rejoicing In spirit as suddenly my
son would exclaim, "Oh, mother, II Is
mastered, it is beautiful! and ne
would kiss me for It,"
Later, referring to the praise ana
appreciation which the portrait mac
received from Rossetti and others,
Mrs Whistler says, "It was mother
unceasing prayer, while being the
painters model, gave the expression
which makes the attractive charm.
This expression" in the painting is
so subtle that no photograph can re-
produce it, and it is this, according TO
Whistler himself, which makes the
portrait what it is-a spiritual inter-
pretatlon.
It was about the same time that
this portrait was painted that Wnlstler
painted the full-length portrait OF Mr.
Ievland and was much at his nome,
Speke Hall. In 1870 we see that
Mrs. Whistler wrote home, Jennie
is very much liked by the Leylano
family and the Hall is full OF kmoll-
ness" that that was before he painted
the Peacock room (now in the Freer
Gallery which led to the battle royal
At Speke Hall in III Whistler hung
in the dining room temporarily, the
portrait of his mother, with the por-
trait of Mr.. Leyland and painting
by Velasquez and, according to Mrs.
whistler. said that his two portraits
stood comparison with the painting oy
the famous Spanish artist to his satls-
faction" and yet it was not easy 10
satisfy his own difficult standard OF
art" What a strange mixture of
modesty and pride, of gentleness and
i'll manners, industry and waste, great
ideals and trivial conduct! But no
one can read these letters by his
mother without realizing that the
Jennie" of whom she wrote must have
had something really fine as well as
lovable in his nature to call forth such
devotion and sustain it year upon
wear. To the collection of Whistler
lana given the Library of Congress by
Mr.. and Mrs. Pennell, these letters
are a valuable addition.
THE exhibition of paintings and
block-printed fabrics by Clara r.
Saunders Of this city in the Women's
City Club, on jackson place, Is de-
lightful. Not only are the works ex-
cellent but they are admirably ex-
hibited. Instead of being ION parade
in a gallery, they are on the walls OF
the three handsomely furnished re-
ception rooms, to which they ado
charm and dignity. Much IS said at
present concerning the loss of inter-
est in easel pictures and the fact that
they are supposedly "out of fashion,
but when one sees them so well placed
as here the absurdity of such state
ments becomes obvious. Miss Saun-
ders has won distinction as water
colorist, and her handling of this diff
ficult medium is accomplished and as
sured. Educated in the days when
tradition was reversed, she has kept
step with the times and not hesitated
to learn from newcomers who had
something to impart. Her work,
therefore, is both traditional and
modern. In her paintings of flowers
shown in this exhibition she mani
tests great technical brilliancy, and
in her portrait studies she as patiently