James McNeill Whistler (Lowell, Massachusetts, 1834 - 1903, London, England)
Eden versus Whistler: The Baronet & the Butterfly, 1899
Printed ink on paper, 26 x 19.7 cm (10 1/4 x 7 3/4 in.)
Blue Room
Commentary
This book records, in an innovative and entertaining way, a lawsuit between Whistler and Sir William Eden, who had commissioned Whistler to paint a portrait of his wife but would not agree to the artist’s fee. Whistler signed this book with his hallmark butterfly signature and added a brief tribute to Isabella: “To Mrs. Gardner—Whose appreciation of the work of Art is only equalled by her understanding of the Artist!”