UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Troopships

Impression: Hunterian Art Gallery
Hunterian Art Gallery
(46956)
Number: 307
Date: 1887
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 128 x 178 mm
Signed: butterfly at lower right
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 2
Known impressions: 13
Catalogues: K.319; M.314; W.238
Impressions taken from this plate  (13)

TECHNIQUE

Troopships is mainly etched with minor drypoint additions at the horizon and on two ships' hulls.

PRINTING

Whistler inscribed one impression '1st. Proof -' (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190103). It is a good, clear impression on off-white laid paper with a partial watermark, printed in black ink with light tone, the ink appearing a slightly warm black, close to dark brown on this paper.
The record of printing of the 'Naval Review Set' is exceptionally full. Eight impressions of 'The Troopships' were printed by 19 August 1887, and nine on 25 August; the list records thirteen on 1 September, but this may be a record of the number then in stock, since a note adds that at least thirteen (there was a query about another one) were still in stock on 26 September. By 1890 or 1891, another stock-taking revealed eight unmounted and two mounted impressions still in the studio. 10 Whistler sold few after this date, so that five impressions, all subtly different in their printing and wiping, came with the artist's estate to the University of Glasgow (see for example, Graphic with a link to impression #K3190001, Graphic with a link to impression #K3190204).

10: [18 August-1 September 1887], GUW #13234; [1890/1891], #13236.

Early impressions are in black ink on off-white (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190001, Graphic with a link to impression #K3190107) and cream (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190106) laid paper.
The second state was printed in a slightly wider range of paper and ink with light, delicately wiped surface tone. They are in brown ink on buff laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190104); in dark brown ink on ivory and off-white laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190208, Graphic with a link to impression #K3190202) and possibly Asian laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190102); and one - the impression included in Queen Victoria's album - in dark brown ink on medium-weight 'antique' (pre-1800) laid watermarked paper, possibly a partial Arms of Amsterdam watermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190205). In addition several are in black ink on ivory laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3190203, Graphic with a link to impression #K3190204, Graphic with a link to impression #K3190207). The majority are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler had printed them.