Reginald Hector Whistler (22 January 1905, in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

–1978), known as Hector, was a painter, muralist and illustrator. He was the cousin of artist

Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...

and glass engraver Lawrence Whistler.

His life and creative activity

He was born in

in the family of Herbert Frederick Whistler and Blanche Hasler and educated at Victoria College there, then at the

London School of Architecture The London School of Architecture, known as the LSA, is a small independent higher education provider based in London. It is England's first independent school of architecture since the Architectural Association opened in 1847. History In the ...

, and

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

. He illustrated ''When Poland Smiled'', by Derek du Pré, in 1940, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, with profits going to the Polish Relief Fund. He moved to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in 1948. His paintings are in the collections of

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

, Oxford and Jersey Museum and Art Gallery. ''Ascension of the Black Christ'' (1954) is in the First Baptist Church in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. Whistler is known for his

etched glass Glass etching, or "French embossing", is a popular technique developed during the mid-1800s that is still widely used in both residential and commercial spaces today. Glass etching comprises the techniques of creating art on the surface of glass ...

panels for the

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is a concert hall in Hope Street, Liverpool, Hope Street, in Liverpool, England. It is the home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and is recorded in the National Heritage Lis ...

. and for his illustrations for an edition of '' The Prime Minister'' by

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

. Glass doors panels by Whistler, originally from Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, and depicting musical instruments in

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style, were featured on the BBC One's ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...

'' and were shown to

Paul Atterbury Paul Rowley Atterbury, FRSA (born 8 April 1945) is a British antiques expert, known for his many appearances since 1979 on the BBC TV programme ''Antiques Roadshow.'' He specialises in the art, architecture, design and decorative arts of the 19t ...

in March 2015. Thirteen

Pilkington glass Pilkington is a Japanese-owned glass-manufacturing company which is based in Lathom, Lancashire, United Kingdom. In the UK it includes several legal entities and is a subsidiary of Japanese company NSG Group. Prior to its acquisition by NSG ...

panels had been purchased from a market in France by a Liverpool dealer, who expressed an interest in donating some to local museums.

Books about him

Alissandra Cummin, ''Hector Whistler''. Publisher: Barbados Museum and Historical Society (1988).

His selected works

Sold in auctions * ''The Forum Rome'', 1957, watercolour. * ''Mellons, Tengiers'', 1957, oil on canvas. * ''Market, Tangiers'', 1957, biro watercolour. * ''Grasse, France'', 1957, biro watercolour * ''A scene in the Caribbean, figures on a shore'', watercolour. * ''Rome'', 1956, pencil and crayon * ''Architectural Studies'', 1956. Pencil sketches and colourwash * ''View of a ruined temple in Rome'', pencil and pastel drawing. In museums collections Hector Whistler, 1905–1978
Retrieved on 14 March 2018 * ''Sir Hugh Springer'' (1950).

, University of Oxford * ''Portrait of a Gentleman in Military Dress'' (1956). Jersey Museum and Art Gallery

References

External links

* 1905 births Place of birth missing 1978 deaths Place of death missing British muralists Jersey painters British illustrators Date of death missing {{UK-artist-stub