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Au Sixième

Impression: Hunterian Art Gallery
Hunterian Art Gallery
(46663)
Number: 3
Date: 1857
Medium: etching
Size: 108 x 77 mm
Signed: 'Whistler.' at lower right
Inscribed: 'Au Sixième'
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 2
Catalogues: K.3; M.2; T.-
Impressions taken from this plate  (2)

TECHNIQUE

Lochnan relates the etching to Whistler's pen and ink drawings of studio life, An artist in his studio m0211 and Scene from Bohemian life m0213. The pen technique is similar, with fine dotted shading on faces, and areas of shadow drawn with a combination of short broken lines and irregular cross-hatching. 13

13: Lochnan 1984[more], pp. 21-23.

PRINTING

Only two impressions are known, and both were owned by family members (, ). One was printed in black ink on off-white China paper laid down on ivory wove paper (), and the next in brown ink on ivory wove paper ().
Lochnan suggests 'that these impressions were pulled on a hand press in the rue Campagne-Première to which Whistler had access in 1857-58.' 14 The source for this suggestion is the Pennells, who mention among Whistler's Paris lodgings:

14: Lochnan 1984[more], pp. 21-23.

'No. 3 Rue Campagne-Première, where Drouet had a studio. ... Drouet says that Whistler himself never printed at this time. But Oulevey remembers a little press in the Rue de Campagne-Première, and Whistler pulling the proofs for the occasional friend who came to buy them.' 15