UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

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Isle de la Cité, Paris

Impression: British Museum
British Museum
(1872-07-13-398)
Number: 63
Date: 1859
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 204 x 294 mm
Signed: 'Whistler -' at lower left
Inscribed: 'Dec. 1859.' and 'Paris de la Galerie d'Op' at lower left
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 11
Catalogues: K.60; M.60; T.19; W.55
Impressions taken from this plate  (11)

TECHNIQUE

The main composition was etched - with an unusual amount of very fine detail - but the distant buildings and sky were added in drypoint and wore down as printing progressed.

PRINTING

Early impressions were printed in black ink with very little tone on ivory or cream wove paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0600112, Graphic with a link to impression #K0600102, Graphic with a link to impression #K0600103). Less than ten impressions are known, but in addition there are three from the cancelled plate.
Impressions from the cancelled plate, printed with surface tone in the manner of Whistler's Venetian etchings, trimmed and signed on the tab by Whistler about 1887, were acquired by Francis Bullard (1862-1913) (Graphic with a link to impression #K0600104) and John Caldwell (fl. 1887-1907) (Graphic with a link to impression #K0600111).