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Little Putney Bridge

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1898.373)
Number: 186
Date: 1879
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 132 x 207 mm
Signed: butterfly at lower right (2-final)
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: Printseller's Association, 1879; F. Wedmore, 1883
No. of States: 5
Known impressions: 56
Catalogues: K.179; M.176; W.146
Impressions taken from this plate  (56)

TECHNIQUE

This etching was done on a plate on which there had been an earlier landscape, possibly showing a farm and oasthouses. Once this earlier composition had been removed, a few additions such as the signature, clouds, a boat and some foliage were added in drypoint, and then were removed, or, in the case of the butterfly, faded quickly.

PRINTING

It is rather difficult to distinguish the arrangements by the Fine Art Society for printing Old Putney Bridge [185] and Little Putney Bridge, both of which were apparently issued in the same year, 1879.
After printing a proof of the first state (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790105), Whistler published a few impressions of the second state through the Printsellers' Association, (i.e. Graphic with a link to impression #K1790104). He then printed a few more impressions of a third (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790205) and fourth (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790202) state. At least five impressions were definitely printed on 14 August 1879. 7

7: Whistler, list, 14-15 August 1879, GUW #13019.

Early states were printed in black ink on various papers including cream 'antique' (pre-1800) laid (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790105); off-white paper, possibly from a ledger, with ruled lines (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790104); ivory laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790205) and laid paper with a watermark of a cross in a shield (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790205). Most are in black ink but one fourth state is in dark brown ink on burnished ivory 'antique' laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790201). Most fourth state impressions were printed in black ink, on a variety of 'modern' and 'antique' papers. These include several watermarked laid papers: Strasbourg Lily (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790202), 'GR' countermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790219), and crown with 'GR' (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790229).
Late impressions with a very faint butterfly were still printed in black ink on various papers including tan Japanese paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790207, Graphic with a link to impression #K1790227), laid paper watermarked '1814 / 2' (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790203) and a few unusual papers including heavy-weight ivory wove (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790215) and pale green paper with the watermark 'ENGLAND' (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790224).
One impression is on cream laid paper with the splendid watermark of the royal coat of arms and motto 'HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE' (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790218). This watermark is seen on another etching of this date, Hurlingham [184], suggesting they were printed at the same time (Graphic with a link to impression #K1810311). The bunch of grapes watermark seen on two impressions of Little Putney Bridge (Graphic with a link to impression #K1790222, Graphic with a link to impression #K1790223) is also found on two impressions of Hurlingham [184] (Graphic with a link to impression #K1810315, Graphic with a link to impression #K1810z07).
The main print-run of Little Putney Bridge was for publication in 1883, by which time the butterfly signature had faded badly. The size of this edition is not known. There are over 40 impressions of this final state in public collections. As published by Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921) in 1883, it was usually printed in black ink on wove paper (i.e. Graphic with a link to impression #K1790206).