Documents associated with: Ouvrages de peinture, sculpture, gravure, lithographie et architecture, refusés par le Jury de 1863, et exposés, par décision de S. M. l'Empereur, au salon annexe, Palais des Champs Elysées, Paris, 1863
Record 13 of 31
System Number: 01081
Date: [15 May 1863][1]
Author: Henri Fantin-Latour[2]
Place: Paris
Recipient: JW
Place: [London?][3]
Repository: Glasgow University Library
Call Number: MS Whistler F12
Document Type: ALS
En sortant de l'Exposition des Tableaux Refusés
6 h du soir
Mon cher Whistler
te voila celèbre! ton tableaux[4] est très bien placé, tout le monde le voit - tu as le plus grand succès. aus Je suis très heureux d'etre le premier a t'en parler. Nous trouvions les blancs très bien ils sont superbe, a la distance (le plus grand juje) ils fonts très bien tu ne peux t'imaginer le rideau le succès est un succès de distingtion tous le trouve très fin, très distingué. Courbet[5] appelle ton tableau une apparition, du spiritisme et (cela l'embête) il dit c'est bien (cela l'embête lui qui à fait mauvais). Baudelaire[6] trouve cela charmant, charmant, Exquise delicatesse [p. 2] dit-il, Legros[7], Manet[8], Bracquemond[9] de Balleroy[10], avec qui j'étais trouve cela très bien. Mr de Tournemine[11] t'a fait placer lui même) il est le directeur du Musée du Luxembourg. J'ai été très heureux de voir toutes les fois que j'entrais dans la salle un attroupement autour de ton tableau, hier pendant que l'on vermissait j'y ai Vu toute l'administration. Viens vite ici, c'est assez interessant pout toi, car j'oublie, je ne saurais dire combien cela est excellent, pour toi, - Manet a un grand succès[12] ainsi qu'un tableau de Colin[13] ou il y a de grandes qualité, Je suis pour ma part très content[14], Cette Exposition est excellente pour Nous, Je t attends pour Bavarder
H. Fantin la Tour
[note[15] by JW on p. 1:] "The White Girl / Symphony in White No 1." / Letter from Fantin / The well known painter / who had portrait[16] [sic] in this years Academy / and whose flower pictures are known to / all the World -
This document is protected by copyright.
Translation:
Coming out of the Exhibition of Rejected Pictures
6 p.m.
My dear Whistler
now you are famous! your picture is very well hung, everyone can see it - you are having the greatest success. I am very happy to be the first to tell you. We thought the whites very good they are superb, from a distance (the best judge) they look very good you cannot imagine the curtain the success is one of distinction everyone thinks it very fine very superior. Courbet calls your picture an apparition, spiritualistic and (this annoys him) he says it is good (it annoys him, he had been sulking). Baudelaire think it is charming, charming, exquisite delicacy [p. 2] he says, Legros, Manet, Bracquemond de Balleroy, who I was with think it is very good. Mr de Tournemine placed you himself) he is the director of the Luxembourg Museum. I was very happy to see a great crowd round your picture every time I went into the room, yesterday during the varnishing I saw all the officials there. Come quickly, it is really interesting for you, because I am forgetting, I do not know how to tell you how excellent it is, for you, - Manet is a great success as is a picture by Colin which has great qualities, for my part I am very pleased, this Exhibition is excellent for us, I'm waiting to talk all about it with you
H Fantin La Tour
Notes:
1. [15 May 1863]
The Salon des Refusés, Ouvrages de peinture, sculpture, gravure, lithographie et architecture, refusés par le Jury de 1863, et exposés, par décision de S. M. l'Empereur, au salon annexe, Palais des Champs Elysées, Paris, 1863, opened on 15 May 1863.
2. Henri Fantin-Latour
Ignace-Henri-Jean-Théodore Fantin-Latour (1836-1904), artist [more].
3. [London?]
In his letter to Fantin-Latour of 3 May 1863, #08035, JW had told him he intended to return to London the following day.
4. tableaux
Symphony in White, No. I: The White Girl (YMSM 38); exhibited as La Dame Blanche in the Salon des Refusés, cat. no. 596. For the title, see also below.
5. Courbet
Jean-Désiré-Gustave Courbet (1819-1877), painter [more].
6. Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), poet and critic [more].
7. Legros
Alphonse Legros (1837-1911), painter, etcher and art teacher [more]; his Portrait de E. M. was in the Salon des Refusés, cat. no. 305.
8. Manet
Edouard Manet (1832-1883), painter [more].
9. Bracquemond
Joseph Auguste ('Félix') Bracquemond (1833-1914), painter and etcher [more]; he had two etchings in the Salon des Refusés, Le Portrait d'Erasme, d'après Holbein, eau-forte commandée par le ministère d'Etat, cat. no. 657; Le Tournoi, d'après Rubens, eau-forte commandée par l'Administration des musées pour la calcographie, cat. no. 658.
10. Balleroy
Albert, comte de Balleroy (1828-1873), painter and printmaker [more]; he had three works in the Salon, cat. nos. 74-76.
11. Tournemine
Charles-Émile Vacher de Tournemine (1812-1872), landscape painter [more]; he had three works in the Salon, nos. 1809-11.
12. succès
Manet's works in the Salon des Refusés were Le Bain, cat. no. 363; Jeune homme en costume de Majo, cat. no. 364; Mademoiselle V. en costume d'Espada, no. 365; and three graphic works, cat. nos. 674-76.
13. Colin
Paul Colin (1838-1916), sea and landscape painter [more], had three works in the Salon, cat. nos. 428-30. Gustave-Henri Colin (1828-1910), landscape painter [more] is noted as having exhibited Joueurs de pelote in the Salon des Refusés, but it is not listed in the catalogue.
14. content
Fantin-Latour had two works in the Salon des Refusés: H. Fantin-Latour, La Féerie (FL.214), cat. no. 158, and H. Fantin-Latour, Portrait (FL.189), cat. no. 159; he also had one work in the Salon, H. Fantin-Latour, La Lecture (FL.215) (z10), Salon catalogue cat. no. 669.
15. note
JW used musical titles for his paintings only from 1867, the first work exhibited with a musical title being Symphony in White, No. 3 (YMSM 61). He noted the title 'Symphony in White No. 1' for this painting in November 1878 (GUL PC 1/3); his note on this letter may have been intended for some publication around that time.
16. portrait
Fantin-Latour exhibited at the Royal Academy each year from 1862-1900, except for 1863, 1868 and 1871-75.