Market Women: Turkeys |  Library of Congress (FP-XIX-W576, no. 386) | |
| Number: | 424 | |
| Date: | 1888 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 102 x 68 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at upper centre | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 2 | |
| Known impressions: | 1 | |
| Catalogues: | K.386; M.386 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (1) | ||
PUBLICATION
Market Women: Turkeys was not published.
EXHIBITIONS
The sole known exhibition in Whistler's lifetime was by H. Wunderlich & Co. in New York in 1898. 8 After his death it appeared in two Memorial exhibitions, at the Grolier Club, New York in 1904, and at the Whistler Memorial Exhibition in London in 1905. It is not certain if it was the same impression that was exhibited in all three cases. 9
8: New York 1898 (cat. no. 236).
9: New York 1904a (cat. no. 373); London Mem. 1905 (cat. no. 335).
SALES & COLLECTORS
Whistler made several etchings of markets in Loches and Tours and the similarity of titles makes it difficult to disentangle sales. For instance, a list of sales to the Fine Art Society, London, in 1889 includes 'Market Place - Loches' at £8.8.0, and 'Little Market Place. Tours' and 'Market Women, Loches - (1st State)' at £6.6.0. 10 There is a sliding scale of prices, with the 'Market Place - Loches' larger and more expensive than the two etchings priced at £6.6.0.
10: E. G. Brown to Whistler, 27 March 1889, GUW #01210.
A couple of years later, in 1891, sales by Whistler to H. Wunderlich & Co., New York included 'Market Women Loches' still at £6.6.0 and 'Market Women Turkeys' much cheaper at £3.3.0. 11 This last named is undoubtedly the etching Market Women: Turkeys which is under discussion. It was probably the impression reproduced below, which was bought by Howard Mansfield (1849-1938), and bears Wunderlich's stock number 'a 19720' (
). It was later bought by Harris G. Whittemore (d. ca 1937), and finally by the Library of Congress.
). It was later bought by Harris G. Whittemore (d. ca 1937), and finally by the Library of Congress. 11: 6 April 1891, GUW #13097.
A few years later, in 1897 Wunderlich's recorded a single impression of 'Turkeys' priced at £4.4.0, which was 'No. 70' in a 'List of sales to date for a/c of J. McN. Whistler Esq'. 12 This may be a duplicate record of earlier sales or the record of an impression that has not yet been located.