UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

On the verso, the copper plate bears the oval stamp of 'C. SERVANT / PLANEUR / 45, B DES GDS AUGUSTINS'. Servant provided ten of Whistler's late copper plates, including Boulevard Poissonière, Paris [483], Polichinelle, Jardin du Luxembourg [467], Antony's Print Shop, Rue de Seine [477], Café Corazza, Paris [484] and Mme Pelletier, Blanchisserie, Paris [481], all of which were printed in very small editions, and The Band, Luxembourg Gardens [466], Under the Statue, Luxembourg Gardens [464], Confections pour Dames [475], Sleeping Child, Ajaccio [488] and Flaming Forge [490], which were not printed at all in Whistler's life-time - or at least no impressions have survived.

The Luxembourg copper plates, although derived from the same maker, are of various sizes. There are three groups. Under the Statue, Luxembourg Gardens (162 x 124mm) is close in size to Polichinelle, Luxembourg Gardens (122 x 161mm). The Band, Luxembourg Gardens (181 x 152mm) is close to another Paris subject, Blanchisserie (182 x 151mm). Picture-Shop, Rue de Seine (152 x 192mm) is similar to Sleeping Child, Ajaccio (153 x 190mm) and Flaming Forge (192 x 154mm). This leaves three copper plates of unique sizes, probably all Paris subjects, Café Corazza, Palais Royal (133 x 221mm), close, but not exactly the same size as French houses (225 x 130mm), and finally Boulevard Poissonière (159 x 232mm).

The Paris copper plates may have remained in Whistler's Paris studio after he left. Eventually, they were sorted, cleaned and stored by Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958), in 1901, under strict instructions from the artist:

The copper plate of Polichinelle, Luxembourg Gardens remained in Whistler's possession until his death, and was bequeathed to Miss Birnie Philip, who eventually gave it to the University of Glasgow in 1935. It was cancelled posthumously with a diagonal line across the lower left corner.