This is the third of Historia’s interviews with writers shortlisted for the 2019 HWA Crown awards. Matthew Plampin is the author of Mrs Whistler, which is shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown. It tells the story of Maud Franklin, model, muse and madame of James McNeill Whistler and would-be artist in her own right. How […]
Mrs Whistler by Matthew Plampin
Chelsea, 1876. Struggling artist Jimmy Whistler is at war with his patron. Denied full payment, he and muse Maud Franklin face ruin. As Jimmy’s enemies mount, he resolves to sue a famous critic for libel, in a last-ditch attempt to ward off the bailiffs. Although she has no position in society, Maud is expected to […]
Writing Mrs Whistler
Author and art historian, Matthew Plampin, on Whistler’s mysterious muse. Mrs Whistler started with the art. I’ve been fascinated by the paintings of James McNeill Whistler for as long as I can remember. At the time he was working, artists of the avant-garde were being grouped together, as Pre-Raphaelites, for example, or Impressionists, or Symbolists. […]