Transcriber's Note: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. Obvious punctuation errors and typos repaired. Footnotes moved to end of relevant chapters. Index of Illustrations adjusted to match HTML version. Two un-indexed illustrations, 'WHISTLER'S GRAVE IN CHISWICK CEMETERY ADJOINING CHISWICK CHURCHYARD' and 'MONUMENT IN WHISTLER'S MEMORY AT THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT', added to the "List of Illustrations". In the original book the Illustrations are indexed as "Facing Page nnn". These have been changed to refer to the nearest page. THE LIFE OF JAMES McNEILL WHISTLER [Illustration: PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST _Fr._ (By Himself)] THE LIFE OF JAMES McNEILL WHISTLER BY E. R. AND J. PENNELL NEW AND REVISED EDITION THE SIXTH _ILLUSTRATED_ PHILADELPHIA J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY LONDON: WILLIAM HEINEMANN _Printed in Great Britain_ PREFACE TO THE SIXTH EDITION The Fifth Edition of our book was exhausted before war was declared, and not until peace was declared was it thought by the publishers advisable to issue this Sixth Edition, which has been revised and brought up to date, and contains new material and new illustrations. All the while we have been collecting and verifying documents, and all the while we have received suggestions, facts, and inquiries. The book has been published in French, but for the war it would have been long since translated into other languages. During these years of needless, senseless, useless horrors, the name and fame of Whistler have steadily grown. His works have served as propaganda--what a comment!--even the portrait of his mother has been used as a poster by the British, and his own portrait has obtained the glory of appearing as a tribute to the power of advertising. All the while, endless stories, most of them garbled from this book, when not invented, have gone from end to end of the world. Exhibitions of his paintings and prints and of documents relating to him have been held. Galleries and private collectors have acquired what little of his work was left to acquire. Even the National Gallery of Great Britain has accepted three of his pictures from the late Arthur Studd though Whistler had distinctly said that he did not wish to be represented in any English gallery. Dealers have found in his art inexhaustible attraction and asset for shows. Mr. Freer's collection in the National Museum, Washington, is about to open. Our collection is being installed in the Library of Congress, also in Washington--though it was damaged by unpardonable and undiscoverable carelessness in transit, caused by this cursed war. Washington must soon be visited to see Whistler as Madrid is to see Velasquez. All the while, too, the financial appreciation of Whistler--the standard by which art and everything is judged to-day--has vastly increased, the _Mrs. Leyland_ and _Lady Meux_ selling for more hundreds of thousands than he asked hundreds of dollars for.