UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Etchings         Institutions search term: copley society

Archway, Brussels

Impression: Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
(1938.1867)
Number: 344
Date: 1887
Medium: etching
Size: 127 x 217 mm
Signed: butterfly at left
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 6
Catalogues: K.366; M.361
Impressions taken from this plate  (6)

PUBLICATION

Archway, Brussels was not published officially, but is considered part of a 'Brussels Set'.

EXHIBITIONS

It was very rarely exhibited. It was first shown by the print dealers H. Wunderlich & Co. in New York in 1898. An impression - possibly the same one - was lent by Bryan Lathrop (1844-1916) to the exhibition organised by the Caxton Club in Chicago in 1900 (Graphic with a link to impression #K3660103). 7

Impressions were shown in the Memorial Exhibitions after Whistler's death: at the Grolier Club in New York in 1904; lent by Howard Mansfield (1849-1938), to the Copley Society show in Boston in 1904 (Graphic with a link to impression #K3660104); and, lent by Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934), in London in 1905. 8

7: Chicago 1900 (cat. no. 279); see REFERENCES: EXHIBITIONS.

8: Boston 1904 (cat. no. 183); London Mem. 1905 (cat. no. 350).

SALES & COLLECTORS

The first sale by Whistler was on 29 June 1888 to H. Wunderlich & Co., New York for £12.12.0. Whistler sold them two more, in 1899 and 1900 for £10.10.0. 9

At the original price of £12.12.0 he sold another impression on 27 July 1888 to Roland F. Knoedler (1856-1932). 10 'Archway - Brussels' was number '8' in the invoice for the 24 etchings sold to Knoedler & Co. for a total of £198.5.0. It was also '8' in a group of twelve etchings sold for a total of £97.8.20 on 17 November 1888 to Messrs Dowdeswell. 11 To aid identification, the number '8' was written on the verso of one impression, which was bought by Howard Mansfield (1849-1938), but it is not known if he bought it from Knoedler's or Dowdeswell's (Graphic with a link to impression #K3660104).

Whistler also sold at least one for £12.12.0 directly to a collector, Samuel Joshua (1833 or 1834 - d. 1907), on 14 June 1889. 12 This may have been the impression bought by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) in July 1903 from Obach & Co. in London (Graphic with a link to impression #K3660104) although that was said to have come from the 'Cox' collection, possibly that of James Cox-Cox (ca 1849- d.1901). Other early collectors included Clarence Buckingham (1855-1913) (Graphic with a link to impression #K3660102), and Bryan Lathrop (1844-1916) (Graphic with a link to impression #K3660103).

9: GUW #13052;'Street Brussels', Wunderlich & Co. to Whistler, 24 March 1899, #07305; 6 April 1900, #07322.

10: Whistler to R. F. Knoedler, GUW #13660; #13028.

11: GUW #13028.

12: GUW #13036.