Merton Villa, Chelsea |  Freer Gallery of Art (1888.18) | |
| Number: | 381 | |
| Date: | 1888 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 153 x 230 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at left | |
| Inscribed: | 'to Trix - / Merton Villa / Chelsea' at lower left | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 1 | |
| Known impressions: | 2 | |
| Catalogues: | K.277; M.273 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (2) | ||
PUBLICATION
It was never published.
EXHIBITIONS
Merton Villa, Chelsea was a very personal and rare etching. It was little known and rarely exhibited. Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) lent what he called the first proof to the exhibition organised by the Caxton Club in Chicago in 1900 (
). 11
). 11 11: Chicago 1900 (cat. no. 247).
Howard Mansfield (1849-1938) lent an impression to both the Boston and London Whistler Memorial Exhibitions after Whistler's death (). In addition it was shown at the Grolier Club in New York in 1904. 12
). In addition it was shown at the Grolier Club in New York in 1904. 12 12: New York 1904a (cat. no. 322); London Mem. 1905 (cat. no. 298); New York 1904a (cat. no. 322).
SALES & COLLECTORS
This is extremely rare. One impression was sold by Whistler to H. Wunderlich & Co., New York, for £10.10.0 on 29 June 1888 and another, at the same price, to the Fine Art Society, London, on 18 December 1888. 13 Wunderlich's sold their impression to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) a month later (). It had particularly strong associations for Freer, who was in frequent correspondence with Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896), who is almost certainly the woman in the etching, and handled many of Whistler's print sales.
). It had particularly strong associations for Freer, who was in frequent correspondence with Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896), who is almost certainly the woman in the etching, and handled many of Whistler's print sales.In 1903, shortly before Whistler's death, David A. Kennedy (fl.1895-1915) asked Whistler for another impression, but none was forthcoming. 14 The only one still in Whistler's studio at his death was bequeathed to Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) who gave it to the University of Glasgow ().
).14: 27 March 1903, GUW #07340.