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Bibi Lalouette

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1890.2)
Number: 33
Date: 1859
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 227 x 151 mm
Signed: 'Whistler.' at lower right
Inscribed: '1859.' at lower right
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 2
Known impressions: 69
Catalogues: K.51; M.51; T.30; W.30
Impressions taken from this plate  (69)

TECHNIQUE

It is mainly etched, with drypoint touches on head and hand.

PRINTING

A very large number of impressions, nearly seventy, are known, printed in black ink. It is very likely that less than half of these were printed by Whistler, and that the plate left his hands, possibly at the time of his bankruptcy in 1879, and was restored and reprinted.
An early impression of the first state is on cream Japan laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510102). Later impressions are on a variety of papers, including Asian papers: ivory laid Japan (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510202); cream Japanese (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510203, Graphic with a link to impression #K0510204, Graphic with a link to impression #K0510211); cream laid Japan (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510205, Graphic with a link to impression #K0510206) thin off-white Japanese paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510232); and ivory chine laid down on cream laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510z20). A scratched impression of the second state, dating from before 1883 when it was given to the Metropolitan Museum, is on thin dark ivory Japan (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510240).
European papers include yellowed fibrous wove paper with grey-blue fibres (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510238) and possibly dark ivory wove paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510212) - these being impressions dating from before or in the early 1870s; and thin dark cream laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510209) - also an early impression. Other laid papers include ivory paper removed from a book with an 'IV' countermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510218); dark cream laid (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510219); and off-white 'Bouchet' watermarked paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510234, Graphic with a link to impression #K0510z06).
Restored impressions with the scratch are still in black ink, one on ivory Japan (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510216), and off-white asian paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510230) and others on fine ivory laid (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510z18), ivory laid possibly taken from a book (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510245) and pale green laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510z03, Graphic with a link to impression #K0510227), the latter with a Beehive watermark. These may not have been printed by Whistler. There is a possibility that the plate had come into the hands of FrederickFrederick Keppel (1845-1912) of F. Keppel & Co., who may have arranged to have it very carefully restored and printed.
One extremely unusual impression was printed in black ink on dark tan silk/satin (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510208)! This is almost certainly a later impression. It seems highly unlikely that Whistler would have printed on cloth, let alone this type.
Other late impressions, also probably printed posthumously, include impressions from the heavily inked and corroded plate on off-white wove paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510207) and thin off-white Japan (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510232). A cancelled impression is on cream wove paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K0510z13).