Etchings Institutions search term: grolier club
Steamboats off the Tower |  Freer Gallery of Art (1898.352) | |
| Number: | 156 | |
| Date: | 1875 | |
| Medium: | drypoint | |
| Size: | 154 x 225 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at upper right | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 4 | |
| Known impressions: | 9 | |
| Catalogues: | K.149; M.147; W.114 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (9) | ||
TECHNIQUE
It is pure drypoint, mostly drawn with long, rather soft strokes, augmented by fine, close shading for shadows, atmospheric background shading, and reflections. The final state is really no more than a few touches reinforcing the fading drypoint.
PRINTING
Only one impression of the first, second and third states are recorded, then a larger printing of the third state, and one impression of the final state.
Most - possibly all - impressions were printed in black ink on De Erven De Blauw paper with the 'DEDB' or beehive watermark (
, , , , , . The colour ranges in tone from off-white through ivory to cream, and the ink appears cooler or warmer in colour accordingly, in fact it appears dark brown on at least one impression ().
, , , , , . The colour ranges in tone from off-white through ivory to cream, and the ink appears cooler or warmer in colour accordingly, in fact it appears dark brown on at least one impression ().