Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl

When _The White Girl_ debuted in London in 1862, it puzzled viewers. At the time, portraits of this scale usually featured well-known people. The subject here is Joanna Hiffernan, an Irish immigrant with little standing in British society. Hiffernan was Whistler’s primary model and collaborator during the early 1860s.

Whistler created two more paintings of Hiffernan in white dresses, eventually grouping all three under the shared title _Symphony in White_. Surprising audiences yet again, he declared that, like music, these works were solely about abstract qualities such as line and color.

Despite the artist’s stated intentions, this imposing image of Hiffernan seems to have a story to tell. What does it say to you?