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Lagoon - Noon

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1887.27)
Number: 209
Date: 1879/1880
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 127 x 204 mm
Signed: butterfly at lower left (3-final)
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: 'Second Venice Set', 1886
No. of States: 3
Known impressions: 30
Catalogues: K.216; M.213; W.186
Impressions taken from this plate  (30)

TECHNIQUE

The composition of Lagoon: Noon was etched, with drypoint added mainly in the sky and water, and fading in later impressions.

PRINTING

An early impression of Lagoon: Noon was printed in black ink on cream paper with light tone wiped vertically, leaving more ink at the bottom of the plate (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160204). The butterfly signature on such early proofs was quite large in size, with veins on the wings; surprisingly, in this case, the print was trimmed to the platemark, leaving the butterfly on a tab (most early impressions have a wide margin). Most impressions were printed in dark brown ink, on various papers, including ivory laid paper with a partial watermark 'W' (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160310) and with a partial Strasbourg Lily watermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160312).
Lagoon: Noon was published by Messrs Dowdeswell and Thibaudeau with the Twenty-six Etchings or the 'Second Venice Set' in 1886. The record of impressions for this edition lists one delivered on 20 August, followed by most of the edition in October: five on the 2nd, thirteen on the 6th, and seven on 21 and 26 October, a total of only 33. 7

7: Whistler to W. Dowdeswell, GUW #08717.

The drypoint was worn down in later impressions, and usually impressions are rather pale. These include several impressions in dark brown ink, for instance one on cream 'modern' (post-1800) laid (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160305) and on cream laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160308) as well as on cream (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160302) and ivory Asian laid (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160303) and light buff Japan paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160304). A few are heavily inked with carefully wiped tone to compensate for fading drypoint (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160314).
The three cancelled impressions are in black ink on ivory laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160401), dark brown on ivory 'antique' (pre-1800) watermarked laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160402) and black ink on ivory laid paper with a Marlowe watermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K2160403).