Whistler's late portraits of Ethel Birnie Philip in the Hunterian Collection

The Hunterian at the University of Glasgow houses over 800 artworks by Whistler, making it an unrivalled centre for the study and enjoyment of his work. The collection is centred on the artist’s estate and major gifts made by Whistler’s heir, his sister-in-law, Rosalind Birnie Philip in 1935 and 1954 and a bequest upon her death in 1958. An important sub-set of these works is represented by six full-length portraits of Rosalind’s older sister Ethel Birnie Philip (1861-1920), most of which have been little seen beyond the University of Glasgow due to strict lending conditions attached to the 1935 gift. What do these works tell us about Whistler's late career? What do the portraits say about Ethel herself