The Wine Glass |  Freer Gallery of Art (1888.21) | |
| Number: | 38 | |
| Date: | 1859 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 83 x 55 mm | |
| Signed: | 'Whistler' at lower left | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 2 | |
| Known impressions: | 40 | |
| Catalogues: | K.27; M.27; T.28; W.31 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (40) | ||
The Wine Glass was probably etched in London in 1859, when Whistler was learning to print his etchings under the tutelage of Auguste Delâtre (1822-1907). About 1873, Whistler wrote on an impression of the first state in the Avery Collection, 'London' and '1st State.' (
).
). However, it could have been printed in Paris, for on 29 June1859 Francis Seymour Haden, Sr (1818-1910) asked Delâtre if their mutual friend, Ignace-Henri-Jean-Théodore Fantin-Latour (1836-1904), could bring the copper plate of 'Le verre à vin' to London. 1 This is the first dated reference to the etching. Many years later, Whistler was asked the date of this etching by W. G. Churcher (fl. 1891-1904), and replied:
1: Haden to Delâtre, 29 June [1859], GUW #13140.
'I fear I cannot help you in this matter - / My work is very seldom dated - and I do not at all remember the year of the "Wineglass" / I know that it was done in England at the time of the first Thames Etchings - and I should think that doubtless Wedmore in his catalogue would have something about it - more to the point than the merely foolish opinion of a critic'. 2
2: [27 November 1891], GUW #09040.
This letter accompanies an impression of the etching in the Art Institute of Chicago (, ). In fact neither Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921), nor any other cataloguer, hazarded a guess as to the date.
, ). In fact neither Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921), nor any other cataloguer, hazarded a guess as to the date.