Beatrice Whistler (also known as Beatrix or Trixie; 12 May 1857 – 10 May 1896) was born in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

on 12 May 1857. She was the eldest daughter of ten children of the sculptor

John Birnie Philip John Birnie Philip (23 November 1824 – 2 March 1875) was a nineteenth-century English sculptor. Much of his work was carried out for the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. Life Philip was born in London, the son of William and Elizabeth Ph ...

Biography of Rosalind Birnie Philip, (1873–1958) University of Glasgow, Special Collections
/ref> and Frances Black. She studied art in her father's studio and with

Edward William Godwin Edward William Godwin (26 May 1833, Bristol – 6 October 1886, London) was a progressive English architect-designer, who began his career working in the strongly polychromatic " Ruskinian Gothic" style of mid-Victorian Britain, inspired by ...

who was an architect-designer. On 4 January 1876 she became the second wife of Edward Godwin. Following the death of Godwin, Beatrice married

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...

on 11 August 1888.

Family

Ethel Philip reading a newsppaper by Beatrix Whistler

Edward Godwin and Beatrice had a son together, also called Edward (1876–1951), who became known as a sculptor. He created the bronze angels that were placed on the Whistlers' tomb in Chiswick Old Cemetery. Her sister Ethel Whibley had been the secretary to Whistler before her marriage to the writer

Charles Whibley Charles Whibley (9 December 1859 – 4 March 1930) was an English literary journalist and author. In literature and the arts, his views were progressive. He supported James Abbott McNeill Whistler (they had married sisters). He also recommended ...

. After the death of Beatrice in 1896, her younger sister Rosalind Birnie Philip acted as secretary to Whistler and was appointed Whistler's

executrix An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

in his will. In Whistler's correspondence Beatrice was referred to as 'Trixie' or 'Chinkie' and also ‘Luck’ and ‘Wam’; his sister-in-law and secretary (1890–1894) Ethel Whibley was 'Bunnie'; his brother-in-law

was 'Wobbles'; and Rosalind was referred to as (the 'Major'); with Whistler signing family correspondence as the 'General' when he did not sign with his butterfly signature.Whistler correspondence
whistler.arts.gla.ac.uk; accessed 20 March 2016.

Marriage to James McNeill Whistler

Maud Franklin had been Whistler’s main model since the 1870s and became Whistler’s mistress. She called herself "Mrs Whistler", with Whistler usually referring to her in company as "Madame". Whistler showed no intention of marrying Maud. Through his friendship with Edward Godwin, Whistler became close to Beatrice (or "Trixie" as he called her). Whistler painted her in the full-length portrait titled ''Harmony in Red: Lamplight'' (GLAHA 46315). In 1885 Beatrice separated from her husband as a result of his compulsive philandering. Godwin died in 1886. By the summer of 1888 Whistler and Beatrice appeared in public as a couple. At a dinner

Louise Jopling Louise Jane Jopling (née Goode, previously Romer and later Rowe) (Manchester 16 November 1843 – 19 November 1933) was an English painter of the Victorian era, and one of the most prominent female artists of her generation. Early life Lou ...

and

Henry Labouchère Henry Du Pré Labouchère (9 November 1831 – 15 January 1912) was an English politician, writer, publisher and theatre owner in the Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian eras. He is now most remembered for the Labouchere Amendment, Labouchè ...

insisted that they should be married before the end of the week. The wedding was arranged; as a member of Parliament,

arranged for the Chaplain to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

to marry the couple. No publicity was given to the ceremony to avoid the possibility of a furious Maud Franklin interrupting the marriage ceremony. The marriage took place on 11 August 1888, with the ceremony attended by a reporter from the ''

Pall Mall Gazette ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed int ...

'', so that the event received publicity after the event. The couple left soon after for Paris, to avoid any risk of a scene with Maud. After their marriage they lived in Tower House, 33

Tite Street Tite Street is a street in Chelsea, London, England, within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, just north of the River Thames. It was laid out from 1877 by the Metropolitan Board of Works, giving access to the Chelsea Embankment. Hist ...

, then in 1889, Whistler and Beatrice moved to 21

Cheyne Walk Cheyne Walk is an historic road in Chelsea, London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It runs parallel with the River Thames. Before the construction of Chelsea Embankment reduced the width of the Thames here, it fronted ...

, in Chelsea, London. After an indifferent reception to his solo show in the

Goupil Gallery Goupil & Cie is an international auction house and merchant of contemporary art and collectibles. Jean-Baptiste Adophe Goupil founded Goupil & Cie in 1850. Goupil & Cie became a leading art dealership in 19th-century France, with its headquart ...

, London, featuring mostly his

nocturnes A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French ''nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

, Whistler abruptly decided he had had enough of London. He and Beatrice moved to Paris in 1892 and resided at n° 110

Rue du Bac, Paris Rue du Bac is a street in Paris situated in the 7th arrondissement. The street, which is 1150 m long, begins at the junction of the quais Voltaire and Anatole-France and ends at the rue de Sèvres. Rue du Bac is also the name of a station on ...

, with his studio at the top of 86 Rue Notre Dame des Champs in

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

. He was at the top of his career when it was discovered that Beatrice had cancer. They returned to London in February 1896, taking rooms at the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 188 ...

while they sought medical treatment. Whistler’s portraits of her, ''The Siesta'' (C.159) and ''By the Balcony'' (C.160), were drawn as she lay dying. She died at St. Jude's Cottage in

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band o ...

on 10 May 1896 and was buried on her birthday, 12 May, in Chiswick Old Cemetery in the London Borough of Hounslow. Following his death Whistler was buried in the same tomb as his wife.

Paintings and drawings

Beatrice signed her work with a monogram or trefoil 'BP', then 'BG'. She also exhibited as 'Rix Birnie' to avoid being stigmatised as a female artist. A limited number of her works remain: oil studies ''The Novel'' and ''The Muslin Gown'' are in private collections; ''Ethel Philip Reading a Newspaper'' is in the

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery The Hunterian is a complex of museums located in and operated by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland. It is the oldest museum in Scotland. It covers the Hunterian Museum, the Hunterian Art Gallery, the Mackintosh House, the Zoology M ...

; and ''Peach Blossom'' is in the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

, Washington D.C. Her jewellery designs are in the National Gallery of Art and the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery. Images of her that were painted by Whistler include: ; Paintings: ''Harmony in Red: Lamplight'' (GLAHA 46315), a full-length portrait. ; Drawings: ''The Siesta'' (C.159) and ''By the Balcony'' (C.160).

(1843–1933), a poet and portrait painter, also painted a portrait of Beatrice.

References

External links

The Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler, Glasgow University
Edited by M.F.MacDonald, P.de Montfort, N. Thorp.
Catalogue raisonné of the etchings of James McNeill Whistler
by M.F. MacDonald, G. Petri, M. Hausberg, J. Meacock.
The Whistler Collection at University of Glasgow, Hunterian Art Gallery
including works from Whistler's estate.
University of Glasgow, Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whistler, Beatrix 1857 births 1896 deaths British artists English artists' models Deaths from cancer in England People of the Victorian era Victorian era Women of the Victorian era

Family

Marriage to James McNeill Whistler

Paintings and drawings

References

Further reading

External links