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The Little Cloak

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1903.150)
Number: 370
Date: 1887
Medium: etching
Size: 83 x 52 mm
Signed: no
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 3
Catalogues: K.336; M.332
Impressions taken from this plate  (3)

TECHNIQUE

For this etching, the model and dress were drawn with vigorous long strokes of the needle, reinforced by patches of zig-zag and regular shading that often run over the outlines of the figure. There is considerable foul biting in the form of dots and dark, granular patches.

PRINTING

Only three impressions of The Little Cloak are known. Two are in black ink on ivory laid paper and show considerable evidence of foul biting, and granular tone over the figure. The mark of a vise, used for holding the plate, is seen at the bottom of the plate (Graphic with a link to impression #K3360102, Graphic with a link to impression #K3360103). The third is printed in a very dark brown ink, but is otherwise similar (Graphic with a link to impression #K3360104). All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler printed them.
On 4 September 1887 Whistler had a production line going, and, with some assistance, printed impressions of nine etchings: 'Scaffolding / The Steps / Miss Pettigrew / Sweet Shop / the Park / Cottage Door / Greengrocer / Rag shop / Maunders'. 12 'Miss Pettigrew' may have been The Little Cloak. The other etchings on the list include Savoy Scaffolding [317]; Little Steps, Chelsea [269] or The Steps, Gray's Inn [282]; The Village Sweet Shop [266]; St James's Park [250]; Cottage Door [252]; Little Greengrocer's Shop, Chelsea [264] or T. A. Nash's Greengrocer's Shop [298]; The Rag Shop, Milman's Row [290], Little Maunder's [273], Rag Shop, Milman's Row, Chelsea [329] or Rag Shop, St Martin's Lane [328]; and Fish-Shop, Chelsea [267] or Little Maunder's [273].

12: Whistler, list, [8 February-29 September 1887], GUW #12716.