UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Etchings         Institutions search term: obach

C. L. Drouet, Sculptor

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1889.27)
Number: 35
Date: 1859
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 226 x 152 mm
Signed: 'Whistler' at lower right, 'Whistler Maitre Eaufortier' at upper right
Inscribed: '1859.' at lower right; 'Drouet. Sculpteur.' at lower centre
Set/Publication: 'Cancelled Plates', 1879
No. of States: 2
Known impressions: 73
Catalogues: K.55; M.55; T.55; W.53
Impressions taken from this plate  (73)

TECHNIQUE

This is one of a small group of drypoints - Whistler's first drypoints- done in 1859. Most are portraits, namely Whistler with a hat [44], Z. Astruc, Editor of 'L'Artiste' [36], Fumette's Bent Head [58], Finette [61] and Arthur Haden [66]. The portrait of Drouet is particularly striking, drawn with long, edgy lines over the hair and body, tight wavy lines on the beard, and delicate patches of shading and cross-hatching defining the facial planes. Drypoint burr is conspicuous in early impressions (i.e. Graphic with a link to impression #K0550204) and accentuated by retroussage and heavy inking in the printing of later impressions.

PRINTING

Over seventy impressions are known but most are from the cancelled plate or from the plate after restoration. The single impression of the first state is in black ink on ivory Japan (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550101). Most early impressions are on Asian paper, including cream Japan laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550204), ivory Japanese (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550214) and off-white thin fibrous Japanese paper(Graphic with a link to impression #K0550218).
Cancelled impressions, as published in 1879 by the Fine Art Society, are usually on ivory or off-white laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550302, Graphic with a link to impression #K0550309, Graphic with a link to impression #K0550311), but also on cream 'modern' (post-1800) laid, with a partial horned crown watermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550301) and cream laid Van Gelder paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550313). There was a print-run of about 20 at this time.
Impressions from the restored plate are also in black ink and are often of good quality. Papers include Asian laid (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550215), ivory Japan tissue (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550305); cream Japanese paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550230) and a sheet of ivory Asian laid paper torn from a book (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550206). Western papers include ivory wove (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550205), a very light green laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550202); greenish off-white 'modern' laid paper with a partial watermark reading 'ROYAL' (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550209); ivory laid paper watermarked with a wreath (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550207); and ivory 'modern' heavy-weight laid paper watermarked 'J Whatman 1801' (Graphic with a link to impression #K0550213).