James McNeill Whistler
(American, 1834 – 1903)



Over 20 works by Whistler, both paintings and prints, are in Hill-Stead’s collection. The two most significant paintings, The Blue Wave, Biarritz, 1862 and Symphony in Violet and Blue, 1893, span 30 years of the artist’s career and reflect his evolution from Realism to a fluid Impressionistic approach. The less well known Carmen Rossi, a portrait of one of his favorite models done in dark, muted tones, further suggests that his style is not one that can be associated with one sole movement. Hill-Stead’s archives contain correspondence between Whistler and Alfred Pope that reveals an enduring, deep friendship and mutual regard.