Etchings Institutions search term: hunterian art gallery
Nut Shop, St James's Place, Houndsditch |  Art Institute of Chicago (1917.486) | |
| Number: | 356 | |
| Date: | 1887 | |
| Medium: | etching and drypoint | |
| Size: | 128 x 178 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at left and (faint) at lower right | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 2 | |
| Known impressions: | 5 | |
| Catalogues: | K.291; M.285 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (5) | ||
TECHNIQUE
The first known state of this plate is in pure etching, except for a small group of right to left diagonal drypoint lines (///) above the heads of the woman and man at far right. Whistler added more etched shading in the second state, at which time the upper left corner of the plate (seen at upper right in the print) came in contact with acid, creating a patch of foul biting.
PRINTING
There was a small print run: impressions were printed in black ink on laid paper, two of the first state having partial 'PRO PATRIA AS' watermarks (
, ). Others are on cream 'modern' (post-1800) () and off-white laid paper (). All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler had printed them. In 1889 Whistler noted that he had only two impressions in stock, one of which was probably that given later to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) (). 12
, ). Others are on cream 'modern' (post-1800) () and off-white laid paper (). All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler had printed them. In 1889 Whistler noted that he had only two impressions in stock, one of which was probably that given later to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) (). 12
12: 18 July 1889, GUW #13235.