Etchings Institutions search term: obach
Piccadilly |  Hunterian Art Gallery (46893) | |
| Number: | 256 | |
| Date: | 1886 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 111 x 70 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at right | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 1 | |
| Known impressions: | 11 | |
| Catalogues: | K.256; M.252; W.208 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (11) | ||
TECHNIQUE
The tentative broken etched outlines are extremely delicate, but the only drypoint appears to be the butterfly signature.
PRINTING
On 2 September 1887 Whistler listed eleven impressions of 'Piccadilly', and then on 26 September he again noted eleven impressions, in the same document. 7 This probably means that he had printed eleven by 2 September and still had eleven in stock on 26 September. He had sold some before September and it is not really clear if these records are duplicates.
7: [8 February-29 September 1887], GUW #12796.
Impressions were printed in dark brown ink mostly on off-white light-weight laid paper (
, ); and ivory laid paper (, , ). One is in black ink on off-white red-edged laid paper removed from a book (). Most are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that he had printed them.
, ); and ivory laid paper (, , ). One is in black ink on off-white red-edged laid paper removed from a book (). Most are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that he had printed them. The plate seems to have become scratched and slightly corroded, and while one impression from this slightly damaged plate was trimmed and signed (), another, although trimmed, has no signature on the tab ().
), another, although trimmed, has no signature on the tab ().