UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

The Miser was never published, although it may have been considered for publication in the 'Cancelled Set'.

An impression was shown in Whistler's one-man show in London in 1874, and was praised by the critic of The Builder : '"The Parasol," "The Miser," and the "Old Farm" may be mentioned as showing genius and interest.' 12 The Miser was also exhibited in Liverpool and other northern cities in a travelling exhibition of the collection of James Anderson Rose (1819-1890) (). 13 Later it was shown to collectors and connoisseurs at the Union League Club in New York, lent by Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) in 1881. 14

Impressions also appeared in print dealer's shows, particularly at H. Wunderlich & Co. in New York, where three different states were shown in 1898, and, on the advice of Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938), bought by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) (, , ). 15 Freer then lent one of these to the exhibition organised in 1900 by the Caxton Club, Chicago. 16

After Whistler's death, impressions were exhibited in the principal Memorial Exhibitions including the Grolier Club in New York (five impressions, two of which were lent by Freer) and by the Copley Society in Boston in 1904. 17 One was lent by the Board of Education to the Whistler Memorial show in London in 1905. 18 This was probably the bold impression in black ink on ivory laid paper, now in the V&A, and reproduced below ().

A fine third state, with strong burr, was among the first group of Whistler's etchings to be sold to a public collection. It was among 16 etchings sold for a total of £10.10.10 by Francis Seymour Haden, Sr (1818-1910) to South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) on 1 January 1861 (). 19

Considering the quality of the drypoint, and its comparitive rarity, prices were surprisingly low. Whistler sold what he called a '2nd state', which is actually a fifth state, to the British Museum in 1863 for £1.1.0. 20 Wedmore later described it as 'a luminous impression' (); he also noted that 'Mr Heywood bought for [£1.1.0] at the Burty Sale a proof of this rare dry-point, before the signature and before some work on the left.' 21

This fine impression from the collection of Philippe Burty (1830-1890), sold at Sotheby's on 1 May 1876 (lot 928) described as 'A Room', 'undescribed with the artist's signature on Japan paper, and before the work on the left, probably unique'. It was bought by Joshua Hutchinson Hutchinson (ca 1829 - d.1891), and was one of two impressions described as 'trial proof[s]' sold after his death, and bought from Sotheby's on 3 March 1892 (lots 116-7) by the print dealers Deprez & Gutekunst for £5.5.0 and £2.5.0. It was bought immediately by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) (). With his typical obsessiveness, Freer bought several more impressions, all originally from the Haden collection, from H. Wunderlich & Co. in 1898: a richly inked second state (), a more restrained fourth state () and a final state ().

Other early collectors included James Anderson Rose (1819-1890) followed by Henry Nazeby Harrington (1862-1937), Henry Harper Benedict (1844-1935) and Lessing Julius Rosenwald (1891-1971) (); Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) (); George Aloysius Lucas (1824-1909) (); from these distinguished collections the drypoints went to the National Gallery of Art, New York Public Library and Baltimore Museum of Art.