Peach Blossom

c. 1890-1894

Beatrix Godwin Whistler

Associated Names
Beatrix Godwin Whistler

Painter, British, 1857 - 1896

This painting shows a woman seated on a chair, looking down at a book she holds. She has light skin, short, wavy brown hair, and bright pink lips. She is turned slightly to the right, and most of her features are unclear. She wears an ornate pink dress with ruffles down the skirt, a high collar, and slightly puffed sleeves. The wall behind her is a reddish-brown color, while the ground is light gray. The brushstrokes in the painting are thick and visible.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Beatrix Godwin Whistler not only sewed the fringed and tiered dress worn by Rose Pettigrew, a popular British model, but she also created this painting. The delicate brushstrokes against a spare background show the influence of her husband, artist James McNeill Whistler, whose works hang nearby.

The Whistlers were fascinated by Japanese culture. While the title’s meaning is unknown, peach blossoms symbolize longevity and happiness in Japan.

When Peach Blossom entered the National Gallery’s collection in 1943, it was thought to be by the artist’s husband. In the 1970s it was accurately attributed to Beatrix, making it the first painting by a woman artist to be acquired by the museum.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery M69

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on wood

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 23.7 × 13.8 cm (9 5/16 × 5 7/16 in.)
    framed: 46.99 × 38.1 × 6.35 cm (18 1/2 × 15 × 2 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.11.8

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Probably given or bequeathed by the artist to William Webb (of James McNeill Whistler's firm of lawyers.)[1] (Forbes and Paterson), London; sold 1930 through (Charles Sessler, Philadelphia) to Lessing J. Rosenwald, Philadelphia;[2] gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] Andrew McLaren Young to William P. Campbell, 4 January 1973, in NGA curatorial files. Webb certainly owned the picture by 1904, when he exhibited it at the Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Hall, Boston, no. 76.
[2] Rosenwald purchased the picture with a certificate from Sickert (MS notebook of Rosenwald's purchases of Whistler prints, 7, in NGA archives). Dr. Margaret MacDonald supplied this reference.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1904

  • Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler, Copley Hall, Boston, 1904, no. 76.

1931

  • Etchings, lithographs, original drawings, and autograph letters by James A. McNeill Whistler, 1834-1903: lent by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Esq, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1931, unnumbered and unillustrated leaflet.

2024

  • Recasting Antiquity: Whistler, Tanagra, and the Female Form, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Atlanta, 2024, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 122, repro., as by James McNeill Whistler.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 376, repro.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 310, as by Beatrix Godwin Whistler.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 437, repro.

1992

  • Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 326-329, repro. 327.

Wikidata ID

Q20190215

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