UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

garden, man, portrait.

Whistler's title is not known, but the sitter, Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932), mentioned several titles.


'the man in the garden' (1892, Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932)). 8
'the jardin portrait' (1892, E.G. Kennedy). 9
'Man in an arbour' (1892, E.G. Kennedy). 10
'Man in an arbour: E.G. Kennedy' (2009, Whistler Etching Project).


'Man in an arbour: E.G. Kennedy' combines the final title recorded by the sitter with the sitter's name.

A full- or half-length portrait of E.G. Kennedy in an arbour in the garden of 110 rue du Bac.

Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932). Whistler finally painted him in oil, Portrait of E. G. Kennedy (1) y403 and Portrait of E. G. Kennedy (2) y404.

Since Kennedy at one point described his portrait as 'Man in an arbour' this suggests that there was an arbour, perhaps with a seat, and enclosed with trees or trellis in the long, narrow, walled garden of the Whistlers' house, off the courtyard at 110 rue du Bac. Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896) designed trellises for the garden there and at the studio at 86 rue Notre Dame des Champs. 11 The trellis, flowers and trees of the garden appear in several lithographs by Whistler himself, drawn in 1894, including The Garden Porch c088, The Man with a Sickle c089 and Tête-à-tête in the Garden c090; Beatrice herself appears in Confidences in the Garden c100 and La Belle Jardinière c101.