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Annie, Seated

Impression: British Museum
British Museum
(1872-07-13-402)
Number: 32
Date: 1858/1859
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 130 x 97 mm
Signed: 'Whistler.-' at lower left
Inscribed: ' "Annie-" ' at lower centre (2-final)
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 3
Known impressions: 58
Catalogues: K.30; M.29; T.50; W.24
Impressions taken from this plate  (58)

TECHNIQUE

The etched lines were augmented with drypoint shadows in the second and third states; eventually the plate was very pitted.

PRINTING

Over fifty impressions are known in public collections. They are usually printed with a broad margin on laid paper, though some are on Asian paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300z10). One impression of the first state is in dark brown ink (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300106), others in black (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300108, Graphic with a link to impression #K0300104, Graphic with a link to impression #K0300103).
There are five impressions of the second state, two in black ink, one on grey/blue laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300209) and another on greenish cream paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300225), and impressions in both dark brown and black ink on laid paper with a 'FORGE' watermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300203, Graphic with a link to impression #K0300229), .
Most known impressions (over thirty) are in the third state. They vary from early impressions, with burr on the drypoint lines (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300203), to a late impression, much pitted (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300204). Nearly all are in black ink on laid paper, a few in dark brown (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300231) and one anomalous one in dark grey ink (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300202). There is considerable variety in paper colour from off-white (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300226), ivory (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300202, ivory with a posthorn watermark, Graphic with a link to impression #K0300228), cream (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300205) and buff (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300208).
Late impressions can be pale (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300214) but in some impressions grey laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300207, Graphic with a link to impression #K0300226) or pale blue (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300207, Graphic with a link to impression #K0300z12) or green (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300230) was used, to add colour to the fading drypoint. Sometimes tone was added to create shadow around the figure (Graphic with a link to impression #K0300209).
Some of these impressions of the third state may have been printed in the 1890s, and more after Whistler's death. F. Keppel & Co., owners of the copper plate, had an edition of at least 35 impressions printed. 9

9: Information kindly provided by Robert K. Newman, The Old Print Shop, New York, 2011.