WHISTLER, JAMES ABBOTT MCNEILL. 2 AUTOGRAPH LETTERS SIGNED, 1895

Two autograph letters signed ("JMcN Whistler"). The first, 1 page on French telegram form (5 1/2 x 4 3/8 in.; 140 x 111 mm), Paris, (20 April 1895), to Miss Rubell, Paris. The second, 2 pages (8 7/8 x 6 in.; 226 x 153 mm), Paris, (15 June 1895), to Charles James Whistler Hanson, London; vertical and horizontal folds; autograph envelope.

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A reproachful letter from Whistler to his son. Charles James Whistler Hanson (1870–1935) was Whistler's illegitimate son with parlor maid Louisa Fanny Hanson. The boy was raised by Whistler's Irish muse and mistress Joanna Heffernan and supported by the painter and his brother. Whistler was known to be harsh and strict with the young man, as this letter demonstrates. "The fact of your asking my opinion, is, I am pleased to believe, a proof of your being uneasy in your mind. It is scarcely necessary for me to point out that you could hardly be guilty of a greater offence to Capt. McEvoy than by appropriating in this way one of his ideas and rendering it useless to himself by 'improving' upon it, and patenting, under his very nose, your version of it!" The letter to Miss Rubell concerns changing the date for their appointment.