UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

couch, woman reclining, nude.

Whistler's original title is not known. Minor variations in the title are as follows:


'Sketch of a Girl, Nude' (1886, Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921)). 1
'Sketch of a nude girl' (1890/1892, Beatrice Whistler (1857-1896)). 2
'Nude Girl Reclining' (1909, Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)). 3
'Nude Reclining' (2009, Whistler Etching Project)


There are problems in distinguishing between several reclining nudes (i.e. Venus 060 and 'Venus' (Nettie Pettigrew) 363). In this case there is also a problem with the definition of 'girl' since the model actually appears to be a young woman. 'Nude Reclining' is a preferable title.

A nude young woman is lying on a couch, her head raised on the higher end of the couch at right, and her figure extended to the left. Her left hand is raised to her face, and her right hand is lifted behind her, as if holding up drapery.

Not identified. The reclining pose is comparable to that of the draped figure in The Model Lying Down 110 (but facing the other way) except that the young woman's arm is raised higher in this drypoint.

Lochnan groups it with Draped Model 109 and The Model Lying Down 110 as examples of the combined influence of Tanagra statuettes, Japanese art, and Albert Joseph Moore (1841-1893) on Whistler's work 4 .