UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Published as Annie in the Douze eaux-fortes d'après Nature (Twelve Etchings from Nature, the 'French Set') in 1858.

Although Annie is usually removed from the original folders or albums, it is known that some of the original 'French Sets' were kept in beautifully bound albums; one impressions of Annie, for example, was in a fine red morocco album with gilt decoration ().

Since it had been published, this became a fairly well-known print. It was first shown in an exhibition of the work of contemporary painters at The Hague in 1863. Later, a group of three states of the etching toured with the collection of James Anderson Rose (1819-1890) in 1874. 7

It was seen in public exhibitions, such as in Philadelphia in 1879, and in private clubs, such as the Union League Club in New York in 1881, to which Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) lent two impressions, one described as a 'Trial proof, only one' and one of the published state (, ). 8 An early trial proof impression was shown at the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888, lent by Bernard Buchanan MacGeorge (1845?-1924) (). 9 It appeared in print dealer's shows, particularly at H. Wunderlich's & Co. (1898) and F. Keppel & Co. (1902) in New York. 10

Both Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) and Bryan Lathrop (1844-1916) (, ) lent impressions to the exhibition organised by the Caxton Club in Chicago in 1900. 11

Finally, it was shown in the Memorial Exhibitions after Whistler's death, in the Grolier Club, New York, and in Boston (lent by Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)) in 1904, and in London and Paris in 1905, an impression being lent by King Edward VII to the London show. 12

In marketing the 'French Set' Whistler was helped by his family, including the sitter's father Francis Seymour Haden, Sr (1818-1910). Thomas de Kay Winans (1820-1878) bought Whistler's etchings including Annie () in the summer of 1859 through Francis Seymour Haden, Sr (1818-1910), to whom he wrote on 20 June: 'I enclose two drafts on Liverpool amounting to £63 sterling and as requested by you, for the etchings - they arrived in good order and are considered very fine, doing Jemmy great credit, I hope he will get up another sett' [sic]. 13

On 1 January 1861 Haden sold 16 prints to what was then the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) for £10.10.0, and in addition presented the museum with a complete 'French Set' as printed by Auguste Delâtre (1822-1907) including Annie (). 14 Haden's brother, Charles Sydenham Haden (1822-1898) also owned an impression, which was acquired years after his death by Margaret Selkirk Watson Parker (1867-1936) () and bequeathed to the University of Michigan. Thomas de Kay Winans (1820-1878) bought a set from Whistler, including Annie () which was given by his heirs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The British Museum bought a fifth state in 1868 (), two impressions from 'Mr Thomas' - probably Edmund Thomas (1842-1883) on 13 July 1872 (, ), and a first state in 1885 (). Another first state may have been given by the artist to Charles L. Drouet (1836-1908), and was later bought by Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) and signed by Whistler about 1873 (). Avery also bought a final, seventh state, which was inscribed by the artist (); both of these eventually went with Avery's collection to New York Public Library, where they were joined by a sixth state from the Royal Collection ().

James Anderson Rose (1819-1890) had two states of Annie, shown in a travelling exhibition in 1874 and sold at Sotheby's in a three-day sale from 27 June 1876 (lots 656-7). Also in 1876, at the sale of the collection of Philippe Burty (1830-1890), an early state was sold for £3.0.0 and an impression on India paper (), for £1.2.0. 15 The latter, a third state, went to Bernard Buchanan MacGeorge (1845?-1924) and was later sold through H. Wunderlich & Co. to Clarence Buckingham (1855-1913) (). Whistler himself sold an impression of 'Annie standing' to Charles Augustus Howell (1840?-1890), in the following year for £2.2.0. 16

Prices varied considerably, particularly at auction. When an impression of the first state with Haden's addition (Annie's legs), was sold at Sotheby's, a newspaper reported:

'Among the Whistler etchings for sale at Messrs. Sothebys last week, was a proof of an early work warmly competed for, not only because of its artistic merit, but, from a collector's point of view, because of a quaint and characteristic inscription of the Master's: "Legs not by me, but a fatuous addition by a 'General Practitioner'." This scarce proof was, I believe acquired by Mr Thibeaudeau' (that is, Alphonse Wyatt Thibaudeau (ca 1840- d.1892)). 17

In 1887 an impression owned by John W. Wilson (dates unknown) was bought by the London print dealer, Thomas M. McLean (b. ca 1832) for £4.4.0 (with another etching) but other examples were sold a few years later, in 1892, from the collection of the late Joshua Hutchinson Hutchinson (ca 1829 - d.1891), for £0.12.0, £0.16.0 and from the collection of William Richard Drake (1817-1890) for £1.4.0 (). 18

Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) bought a sixth state, originally from the collections of Haden and John Charles Sigismund Day (1826-1908), from F. Keppel & Co. in 1892 (); fourth, sixth and final states, also originally from the Haden collection, from Wunderlich's in 1898 (, , ); and finally a second state from F. Keppel & Co. in 1903 ().

Henry F. Sewall (1816-1896) owned an impression that was bought for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, Harvey D. Parker Collection, in 1897 (). The Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin, bought one from Obach & Co., in 1907 for £3.0.0 (). Albert Henry Wiggin (1868-1951) bought another for Boston Public Library (). One was given by Mrs T. H. Riches to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge in 1923 (). Early collectors included Bryan Lathrop (1844-1916) () whose collection passed to the Art Institute of Chicago; Harry Brisbane Dick (1855-1916), whose prints passed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (, ); Thomas Jefferson Coolidge jr (1863-1912) and Pauline Kohlsaat Palmer (1882-1956) (); MacGeorge, Coolidge and Buckingham (). F. Keppel & Co. gave a sixth state to Cleveland Museum of Art in 1918 ().