UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Etchings         Institutions search term: grolier club

Clothes-Exchange, Houndsditch, No. 2

Impression: Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
(1917.484)
Number: 359
Date: 1887
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 229 x 153 mm
Signed: butterfly at left
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 3
Known impressions: 4
Catalogues: K.288; M.283
Impressions taken from this plate  (4)

TECHNIQUE

The original work in etching was enhanced with drypoint shading on the central figures and then more elaborate and emphatic etched and drypoint shading on the structure of the warehouse itself. Foul biting visible at the upper centre of the image appeared along with the new etched lines.

PRINTING

There was a very limited print run. Whistler wrote '1st proof' on an impression in black ink on cream 'antique' (pre-1800) laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K2880104). He noted on the next proof, '1st State. only two / proofs - ' (Graphic with a link to impression #K2880102). It was printed in dark brown ink on ivory laid paper, darkened to buff, and with the watermark 'PRO PATRIA AS'. The later impressions were printed in black ink on off-white laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K2880103) and ivory laid paper from an old ledger (Graphic with a link to impression #K2880203).