Etchings Institutions search term: copley society
The Visitors' Boat |  Hunterian Art Gallery (46928) | |
| Number: | 303 | |
| Date: | 1887 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 178 x 128 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at lower left | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 1 | |
| Known impressions: | 9 | |
| Catalogues: | K.320; M.313; W.237 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (9) | ||
TECHNIQUE
This plate was executed in pure etching.
PRINTING
The first proof of The Visitors' Boat (inscribed so by Whistler) was kept in his studio, and never sold; it was printed in dark brown ink with light, even tone (slightly darker in the foreground) on ivory laid paper (
).
). The record of printing of the 'Naval Review Set' is exceptionally full. Five impressions of Visitors' Boat were printed by 19 August 1887, four on 25 August, six on 1 September. On 18 July 1889 he had three in stock. By 1890 or 1891, another stocktaking revealed three unmounted and one mounted impression still in the studio. 10 Whistler sold few after this date, so that two impressions came with the artist's estate to the University of Glasgow (, ).
, ).Several impressions are printed in dark brown ink on ivory laid paper (, , ) including one inscribed '1st- proof' (). Another is in dark brown ink on cream laid paper (). One, with lightly wiped print tone on ivory 'antique' (pre-1800) laid paper with an Arms of Amsterdam watermark, is marked on the verso with an 'o' that probably indicated Whistler's approval, and was selected for the album presented to Queen Victoria (). Others are in black ink on ivory laid (), cream laid with 'IV' countermark or cream laid () and cream 'antique' laid paper (), the latter with particularly sensitively wiped ink tone suggesting the foreground space. All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on a tab with the butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler printed them.
, , ) including one inscribed '1st- proof' (). Another is in dark brown ink on cream laid paper (). One, with lightly wiped print tone on ivory 'antique' (pre-1800) laid paper with an Arms of Amsterdam watermark, is marked on the verso with an 'o' that probably indicated Whistler's approval, and was selected for the album presented to Queen Victoria (). Others are in black ink on ivory laid (), cream laid with 'IV' countermark or cream laid () and cream 'antique' laid paper (), the latter with particularly sensitively wiped ink tone suggesting the foreground space. All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on a tab with the butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler printed them.