WILDE v WHISTLER
Four hundred copies on small quarto paper, and one hundred large papercopies on demy octavo paper, have been printed of this brochure.
WILDE v WHISTLER
BEING
AN ACRIMONIOUS CORRESPONDENCE
ON ART
BETWEEN
OSCAR WILDE
AND
JAMES A McNEILL WHISTLER
LONDON PRIVATELY PRINTED MCMVI
Pall Mall Gazette, Feb. 21st, 1885.
Last night at Prince’s Hall, Mr. Whistler made his firstpublic appearance as a lecturer on Art, and spoke formore than an hour with really marvellous eloquence on theabsolute uselessness of all lectures of the kind. Mr. Whistlerbegan his lecture with a very pretty aria on pre-historic history,describing how in earlier times hunter and warrior would goforth to chase and foray, while the artist sat at home makingcup and bowl for their service. Rude imitations of naturethey were first, like the gourd bottle, till the sense of beautyand form developed, and, in all its exquisite proportions, thefirst vase was fashioned. Then came a higher civilisation ofArchitecture and Arm-chairs, and with exquisite design, anddainty diaper, the useful things of Life were made lovely: andthe hunter and the warrior lay on the couch when they weretired, and, when they were thirsty, drank from the bowl, and[6]never cared to lose the exquisite proportions of the one, or thedelightful ornament of the other: and this attitude of the primitiveanthropophagous Philistine formed the text of the lecture,and was the attitude which Mr Whistler entreated his audienceto adopt towards Art. Remembering, no doubt, many charminginvitations to wonderful private views, this fashionableassemblage seemed somewhat aghast, and not a little amused,at being told that the slightest appearance among a civilizedpeople of any joy in beautiful things is a grave impertinenceto all painters; but Mr. Whistler was relentless, and with charmingease, and much grace of manner, explained to the publicthat the only thing they should cultivate was ugliness, and thaton their permanent stupidity rested all the hopes of art in thefuture.
The scene was in every way delightful; he stood there, a miniatureMephistopheles mocking the majority! he was like a brilliantsurgeon lecturing to a class composed of subjects destinedultimately for dissection, and solemnly assuring them howvaluable to science their maladies were and how absolutelyuninteresting the slightest symptoms of health on their partwould be. In fairness to the audience, however, I must saythat they seemed extremely gratified at being rid of the dreadfulresponsibility of admiring anything, and nothing could haveexceeded their enthusiasm when they were told by Mr Whistlerthat no matter how vulgar their dresses were, or how