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 088, 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 043, Reading by Lamplight 037, Venus 060, Weary 093, 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