Railway Arch, American Square |  Art Institute of Chicago (1938.1922) | |
| Number: | 316 | |
| Date: | 1887 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 70 x 163 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at left | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 3 | |
| Known impressions: | 8 | |
| Catalogues: | K.268; M.264; W.218 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (8) | ||
TECHNIQUE
Railway Arch, American Square, was begun in pure etching, and the shading added in subsequent states was also etched. The weaker lines on the pavement in front of the arch were either very lightly etched or partly scraped out.
PRINTING
Whistler had printed three impressions (or had three in stock) by 19 August 1887, and he printed one on 29 August and one on 1 September. 8 Another list confirmed that he had printed three by 19 August 1887, and added that he had five on 4 September. 9 Whistler did not record further printing, and by 18 July 1889 he had only one in stock. 10
Whistler printed the first state in black (or very dark brown) ink on ivory laid paper (
) and later impressions still in black but on a variety of laid papers, including off-white (, ) and ivory (, ). All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler had printed them.
Whistler printed the first state in black (or very dark brown) ink on ivory laid paper (
) and later impressions still in black but on a variety of laid papers, including off-white (, ) and ivory (, ). All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler had printed them.