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Portrait of a man |  Art Institute of Chicago (1924.637) | |
| Number: | 73 | |
| Date: | 1860 | |
| Medium: | drypoint | |
| Size: | 229 x 154 mm | |
| Signed: | 'Whistler.' at lower left | |
| Inscribed: | '1860.' | |
| Set/Publication: | 'Cancelled Plates', 1879 | |
| No. of States: | 2 | |
| Known impressions: | 30 | |
| Catalogues: | K.63; M.63; T.72; W.58 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (30) | ||
TECHNIQUE
This is a drypoint portrait. Whistler drew the figure with long, straight and zig-zag lines, very confidently, the shadows with varied cross-hatching, and the details of the face with lighter lines following the contours of the face.
PRINTING
There may have been a print-run of a dozen impressions before cancellation and a larger print-run, possibly as many as 20, from the cancelled set.
Whistler boasted to Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) in 1873, 'I have a proof of "the Man" for you' (which may mean the Portrait of a Man under discussion). He added: 'I have three proofs of the Man - besides the one in the frame that I cannot yet find - They are the only ones the plate will give of fine quality in that state ...' 30
30: Whistler to S. P. Avery, [ca 7 July 1873], GUW #10628.
Avery certainly acquired a good, rich impression of the first state, printed in black ink (with considerable burr) on ivory Japan paper (
). Howard Mansfield (1849-1938) acquired an even more richly inked impression, also on cream Asian laid paper ().
). Howard Mansfield (1849-1938) acquired an even more richly inked impression, also on cream Asian laid paper ().Other impressions are on a variety of western papers including off-white card-like wove (), and several laid papers - pale buff (), ivory watermarked with a posthorn and numbers ('1388' or '1788') (), and off-white 'antique' (pre-1800) watermarked paper (). Several are on Asian papers: ivory Japan (), cream Japan 'laid' (); off-white China 'laid' () and ivory India paper ().
), and several laid papers - pale buff (), ivory watermarked with a posthorn and numbers ('1388' or '1788') (), and off-white 'antique' (pre-1800) watermarked paper (). Several are on Asian papers: ivory Japan (), cream Japan 'laid' (); off-white China 'laid' () and ivory India paper ().