Bibi Lalouette |  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) | ||
STATE
Two states are known before damage, restoration and cancellation of the plate.
State 1
Signed 'Whistler.' (the 't' is not crossed) and inscribed '1859.' at lower right.
The composition is complete. There are light sketches of the boy's face at lower left and a woman's face at lower right, upside down.
State 2
Additions in drypoint include curls and shading on the hair, patches of shading on the sleeve and back of the blouse, long, light horizontal lines in the background to left and right of the child, and several slightly curved horizontal lines on the edge of the bed or cushion at lower left; the heads at the bottom are partly removed, but vary in visibility, depending on the inking of the plate.
In the early impression reproduced above there is a diagonal scratch across the sleeve. However, this was largely removed or does not show in other impressions, such as the one reproduced below.
State 2 (damaged)
There is a hooked scratch across the front of the blouse.
This might be a light cancellation mark; it was present by 1883 (
).
).State 2 (restored)
The scratch across the blouse has been removed and the lines of the blouse restored.
Some impressions were more fully inked, making the fading drypoint print more strongly but also making the plate corrosion more conspicuous, as in the impression reproduced above.
State 2 (cancelled)
Cancelled with four horizontal lines and two diagonal lines running from corner to corner.