Celeste Winans, 1855-1925
Nationality: American
Date of Birth: 14 April 1855
Place of Birth: St Petersburg, Russia
Identity:
Celeste Marguerite Winans was a collector and relative of Whistler. She was the daughter of Celeste Louise Revillon (1828-1861) and Thomas de Kay Winans (1820-1878), a partner in the major locomotive firm Harrison, Winans and Eastwick, which was involved in the construction of the St Petersburg to Moscow railroad. She had three brothers: George (1849-1851); Ross Revillon (1850-1912); and William George (1852-1871). Her father's sister Julia was married to Whistler's half-brother George William Whistler. Ross Revillon Winans' second wife Catherine Neva Beatrice Whistler (1860-1907) was the daughter of George William Whistler and Julia de Kay Winans.
Life:
Born in St Petersburg, Celeste Winans was brought up at Alexandroffsky, 838 Hollins Street, Baltimore, MD, a house designed and built by Neirsee and Neilson and named after the town where her father's locomotive works were located in Russia. She married an American diplomat Gaun McRobert Hutton (1848-1916) who was born in Ballygrangey, County Down, Ireland, and was stationed for a while in St Petersburg. They lived between their town residence in Baltimore and a summer home, Shamrock Cliff, in Newport, RI. They had four children: Elsie Celeste, born on 11 July 1884; Lucette Marguerite (Mrs Harold Adye Prichard), born on 20 September 1885; Una Louise, born on 2 June 1888; and Reginald Winans, born on 25 June 1894.
While growing up, Julia and George William Whistler lived with Celeste's family after 1854. James Whistler stayed with them as well for a time and her father became his first patron, purchasing Wapping y035 which hung in the house until its demolition. Celeste inherited the house after her father's death and lived there until her own death in 1925. She also inherited The Fishwife y006 and a group of early Whistler etchings, including K0010126, K0010128, K0090532, K0100421, K0110430, K0130442, K0140229, K0150232, K0160232, K0170323, K0190430, K0210228, K0220320 and K0250151.
Bibliography:
'Gaun M. Hutton Dies', New York Times, 10 July 1916, p. 11; New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, http://jsfecmd.fortunecity.com/gibsonweb-p/p2172.htm (accessed September 2009); Winans Family History, http://www.friendsoforiandahouse.com/html/Research.html (accessed September 2009).