UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Although not published officially, The Fleet: Monitors formed part of the 'Jubilee Set'.

This may first have been exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists in the winter of 1887-1888, towards the conclusion of Whistler's Presidency of the Society. The London Standard commented:

'Mr Whistler's latest studies with the etching needle divide themselves as to theme into four classes, one of them dealing with a pilastered house in Brussels, another with what Mr Whistler saw when he was a privileged spectator of her Majesty's fleet, a fourth with the arena of Buffalo Bill. Of all of these things there are vivacious and dexterous jottings.' 12

It was shown in two print exhibitions by the print dealers H. Wunderlich & Co., in New York in 1898 and 1903. 13

After Whistler's death, Howard Mansfield (1849-1938) lent an impression to the Boston Memorial show in 1904. In addition, an impression from the 'Naval Review Set' presented by Whistler to Queen Victoria was lent by Edward VII to the Whistler Memorial Exhibition in London 1905. 14

The first sale, less than a month after drawing The Fleet: Monitors, was on 20 August 1887 to the London print dealer Thomas M. McLean (b. ca 1832) for £10.10.0. Another went to Messrs Dowdeswell in London for the same price. In December, Whistler sent two whole Naval Review sets to J. Craibe Angus (fl. 1865-1901) in Glasgow. 15 One of these was probably bought by Bernard Buchanan MacGeorge (1845?-1924) of Glasgow (), and was sold later through Wunderlich's, being owned by Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932), Henry Harper Benedict (1844-1935), and Albert Henry Wiggin (1868-1951), from whom it passed to Boston Public Library.

An impression from the Album presented by Whistler to Queen Victoria was sold on 11 April 1906 through Obach & Co. to Freer, who already had a good impression (). Freer immediately sold the Album to Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958), who gave it to the University of Glasgow in 1935 (). 16 A similar set in an album designed by Whistler was given by Walter Stanton Brewster (1872-1954) to the Art Institute of Chicago (). Freer had already bought an impression from H. Wunderlich & Co in May 1888 ().

Several print dealers bought regularly from Whistler. Wunderlich's had an impression by May 1888, which was probably the one sold to Freer, and Knoedler's by July 1888. 17 Ten years later, more sales were recorded to Wunderlich's, priced at £10.10.0, and they were keen to obtain more impressions as late as 1903, shortly before Whistler's death. 18

Five impressions were left in Whistler's studio at his death and bequeathed to his sister-in-law Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958), who bequeathed them to the University of Glasgow. Two of these were sold, leaving three still in the Hunterian (, , ).

Whistler had a circle of avid collectors who bought his work, and fine impressions passed from one to another of these collectors as time went on. Other early collectors included Howard Mansfield (1849-1938) and Harris G. Whittemore (d. ca 1937) (); Ralph King (1855-1926) and his wife (), Miss Elizabeth Achelis (1880-1973) (); Otto Gerstenberg (1848-1935) (, ); Bryan Lathrop (1844-1916) (); and Lessing Julius Rosenwald (1891-1971) ().