UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

cancelled plate, hair, Japonisme, woman seated, woman standing, interior, model, toilet.

Various titles have been proposed, as follows:


'Brushing the Hair' (1890/1892, Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896)). 1
'The Toilette' (1900, Whistler). 2
'Two Young Girls' (1905, ISSPG). 3
'The Toilet' (1909, Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)). 4


'Brushing the Hair' is an accurate and descriptive title, whereas 'The Toilet' is a title that could be confused with Whistler's title for a lithograph (The Toilet [c010]). Furthermore Whistler himself - in his letter to Kennedy, mentioned above - seemed to have some doubt about 'The Toilette' as its title.

At upper right are the head and shoulders of a woman in profile to the left, with a few lines indicating her bust and arms. Her hair is drawn back into a rough chignon ornamented with a large bow. She is brushing and arranging the wavy, shoulder length hair of a girl facing left, whose features are not expressed. There is shading in the background.

Joanna Hiffernan (b. ca 1843) and her sister, Bridget Agnes Hiffernan (1844/1845-after 1919). Whistler identified it as 'Jo & her sister doing her hair - "The Toilette" I think it may be called - (dry point)'. 5 Jo also appears in Jo's Bent Head [88], and in several etchings and paintings at this date. Agnes appears in the drypoint of that title, Agnes [146].

This is one of several studies showing intimate details of women's life. These include The Slipper [43], Reading by Lamplight [37], Venus [60], Weary [93], Reading a Book [112], Tatting [130], The Letter (Maud, seated) [116], Sleeping Girl [127], Binding the Hair [334], Woman sleeping in a chair [401], and drawings such as r.: Seated woman, smoking; v.: Head of child [m0291].

A source of inspiration may well have been a colour wood block print from The Hairdresser Series: 'Fujin Tewaza Juni-Ko' by Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806). 6