New Portrait of Lady Colin Campbell Discovered

I’ve known for some time that Wilhelm Heinrich Funk painted Lady Colin Campbell in 1899. The portrait was exhibited at Thomas McLean's Galleries in January 1900 but until now I had found no trace of it in books, catalogues or art collections. So imagine the excitement when yesterday I found a copy of it in a 1900 journal. Until, that is, I saw the portrait, which I find probably the worse I have seen of her. My own subjective opinion of course, but take a look and see what you think.

It is interesting to note that when the portrait was exhibited in January 1900, Lady Colin was the art critic for The World, with her column “In the Picture Galleries.” She covered the exhibition and although she does not mention her own portrait, she said:

“The great charm in Mr. Funk's portraits is not only the admirable flesh‑painting and fine sense of colour, but that they are pictures as well as likenesses. It would be a pleasure to possess these portraits I have mentioned whether one knew the originals or not, for they are decorative works of art, beautiful in themselves and in their rendering of character.”

Frankly, I disagree!

However, I would still be interested if anyone knows the current location of the painting.

 (c) Anne Jordan 2012

Harmony in White and Ivory

I’ve just received a 1911 print depicting Whistler’s 1886 portrait of Lady Colin Campbell, “Harmony in White and Ivory.” First displayed at the time of her divorce trial, the portrait was unfinished and later disappeared, presumed destroyed by the artist himself.

Was the colour of the dress chosen to signify innocence in the face of her impending trial?

It was certainly timely. The portrait was displayed at the winter exhibition of the Society of British Artists, opening with the private viewing the day after the divorce trial began. The newspapers went wild with suggestions of the co-respondents competing to purchase the portrait of their alleged lover, but it is more likely it was destroyed by Whistler, dissatisfied with the outcome of his work.