UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

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Portrait of Whistler

1859
Drypoint on laid paper.
K.54 (2/2).1.
Purchased, 1979 with the support of the Royal Scottish Museum's Local Museums Purchase Fund.
Hunterian Art Gallery, GLAHA 46744.

In Paris, the 25-year-old artist, in his wide-brimmed straw hat, drew this attractive self-portrait directly on the copper plate. He was right-handed - but the image was, as always, reversed in printing. Whistler liked it and gave impressions to his friends and family. Later, it was eagerly sought after for exhibitions and fought over by collectors. Only about twenty impressions are known before the copper plate was cancelled.

Notes

1. K is the abbreviation for Edward G. Kennedy, The Etched Work of Whistler, New York, 1910; the numbers in brackets indicate the state and total number of states, and show, in this case, that this is the second of the two states recorded by Kennedy.