Doorway, Gray's Inn |  Colby College Museum of Art, Maine (2013.335) | |
| Number: | 289 | |
| Date: | 1887 | |
| Medium: | etching and drypoint | |
| Size: | 96 x 134 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at left | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 3 | |
| Known impressions: | 2 | |
| Catalogues: | K.300; M.294 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (2) | ||
TECHNIQUE
The outlines of the composition and some lines of shading were executed in etching, and then drypoint was added to darken the shading, especially on the doorway.
It was drawn lightly, with short curving, wriggly and jagged lines and dots, with many gaps in lines for the figures, and longer, broken lines for the trees and building. Whistler's main concern in the second state was to deepen the shadows in the interior, although the lunette remains light, as if there is a light behind it.
PRINTING
Two impressions of the first state were printed in dark brown ink, with little plate tone. One is on ivory laid paper () and the other on a cream 'antique' (pre-1800) watermarked laid paper (). An impression of the second state recorded by Kennedy has not been located (). All are trimmed to the platemark and signed on the tab with a butterfly and 'imp.' to show that Whistler had printed them.