MR. WHISTLER, when asked which of his etchings he considered the best, is reported to have answered, “All.” Fortunately for us, in the case of his portraits he has indicated his preference. “_One of my very best_” is written beneath a proof of _Annie Haden_, now in the Lenox Library; and Whistler, in the course of conversation with Mr. E. G. Kennedy, told him that if he had to make a decision as to which plate was his best, he would rest his reputation upon _Annie Haden_. It is the culmination of that wonderful series to which belong such masterpieces as _Becquet_, _Drouet_, _Finette_, _Arthur Haden_, _Mr. Mann_ and _Riault, the Engraver_. Whistler himself never surpassed this portrait, which for perfect balance, certainty of hand, and sheer charm, is not only one of the most delightful portrait plates in the history of the art, but one of the few successful representations of the elusive charm of young girlhood. [Illustration: J. A. McN. WHISTLER. ANNIE HADEN Size of the original dry-point, 13⅞ × 8⅜ inches In the Collection of Howard Mansfield, Esq.] [Illustration: J. A. McN. WHISTLER. RIAULT, THE ENGRAVER Size of the original dry-point, 8⅞ × 5⅞ inches In the Collection of Howard Mansfield, Esq.] Hardly less beautiful are the portraits of _Florence Leyland_, standing, holding her hoop in her right hand, every line of the slender figure rhythmic and beautiful; or of _Fanny Leyland_, seated, the soft flounces of her white muslin dress indicated with the fewest and most delicate lines; or _Weary_, lying back in her chair, with hair outspread. _Weary_ suggests the _Jenny_ of Rossetti’s poem, but it is a portrait of “Jo”--Joanna Heffernan--whom Whistler painted as _The White Girl_ and _La Belle Irlandaise_, and of whom, in 1861, two years previously, he had made a superb dry-point. Of Whistler’s portraits of men, _Riault_ is assuredly one of the finest, both in execution and in portrayal of character. The concentration of the wood-engraver on his task is expressed with convincing power, and those who mistakenly attribute to Whistler grace at the expense of strength could hardly do better than study this dry-point.