The Piano |  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 (); followed by second states in dark brown ink on ivory 'antique' (pre-1800) laid watermarked paper (); and in black on ivory laid deckled paper (). Later states are also on deckled paper (), and two on laid paper with De Erven De Blauw () and beehive and 'DEDB' () 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 ().
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 () and ivory 'Van Gelder' paper (, ), as well as one on cream wove paper ().