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The Piano

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1904.58)
Number: 144
Date: 1875-1877
Medium: drypoint and open bite
Size: 236 x 160 mm
Signed: butterfly at left (3-final)
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: 'Cancelled Plates', 1879
No. of States: 7
Known impressions: 26
Catalogues: K.141; M.139; W.117
Impressions taken from this plate  (26)

TECHNIQUE

Whistler made sketches that are closely connected to this drypoint, although they may not actually have been done in preparation for it. They are both known by the same title - At the piano [m0538] and At the piano [m0539].
An irregular patch, extending to the left of and behind the head and to the left and right of the lower part of the skirt is lavis or open bite. It provides an effect similar to ink tone. The composition as a whole was drawn boldly in drypoint with both shorter and longer lines reinforcing the fading drypoint.

PRINTING

The first state was printed in black ink on off-white laid paper with a 'IV' countermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410102); followed by second states in dark brown ink on ivory 'antique' (pre-1800) laid watermarked paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410201); and in black on ivory laid deckled paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410202). Later states are also on deckled paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410402), and two on laid paper with De Erven De Blauw (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410403) and beehive and 'DEDB' (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410405) watermarked paper. Most were not trimmed but an impression of the final state was trimmed later and signed with a butterfly and 'imp.' by Whistler about 1886 (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410602).
It was published in an album of Cancelled Plates ('Cancelled Set') by The Fine Art Society, London, 1879. There may have been a print-run of over twenty. These were printed in black ink, mostly on laid paper including cream paper with Strasbourg Lily/WGL watermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410701) and ivory 'Van Gelder' paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410703, Graphic with a link to impression #K1410710), as well as one on cream wove paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K1410706).