JAMES A. M. WHISTLER Rue de la Rochefoucault. Etching and drypoint printed in dark brownish black on antique, cream laid paper, 1890. 130x216 mm; 5x8 1/2 inches. MacDonald's fourth state (of 4). Signed with the butterfly and inscribed "imp." in pencil on the tab, lower left. A superb impression of this extremely scarce print. MacDonald notes only 8 impressions of this subject were printed from around 1890 to 1900. Whistler's sometime printer and protégé Frank Short recalled, "The last time [Whistler] printed with me was in July 1900, when he came down here [Brook Green] with nine or ten plates, and we printed a few proofs of each. Some of these plates were slight, but several carried a good way. He, as usual, worked a little in dry-point between each proof. I think he intended coming to print a good deal at this time, but I think he got ill. I remember he said the 'etching fit' was on him again. I think he liked some one to print with him--some one that he could leave the ink and the press to, and be only concerned himself with the wiping. I was always a little surprised that he left the ink mixing to me-- 'Make it your own way,' he would say, 'a dark nutty brown.' He said he had come to the conclusion that too brown (or too light) an ink was an affectation. We have found only 2 other impressions of this print at auction in the past 30 years. Kenendy 419; Glasgow 434.
JAMES A. M. WHISTLER Rue de la Rochefoucault. Etching and drypoint printed in dark brownish black on antique, cream laid paper, 1890. 130x216 mm; 5x8 1/2 inches. MacDonald's fourth state (of 4). Signed with the butterfly and inscribed "imp." in pencil on the tab, lower left. A superb impression of this extremely scarce print. MacDonald notes only 8 impressions of this subject were printed from around 1890 to 1900. Whistler's sometime printer and protégé Frank Short recalled, "The last time [Whistler] printed with me was in July 1900, when he came down here [Brook Green] with nine or ten plates, and we printed a few proofs of each. Some of these plates were slight, but several carried a good way. He, as usual, worked a little in dry-point between each proof. I think he intended coming to print a good deal at this time, but I think he got ill. I remember he said the 'etching fit' was on him again. I think he liked some one to print with him--some one that he could leave the ink and the press to, and be only concerned himself with the wiping. I was always a little surprised that he left the ink mixing to me-- 'Make it your own way,' he would say, 'a dark nutty brown.' He said he had come to the conclusion that too brown (or too light) an ink was an affectation. We have found only 2 other impressions of this print at auction in the past 30 years. Kenendy 419; Glasgow 434.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
