The Rialto | ||
Number: | 199 | |
Date: | 1879/1880 | |
Medium: | etching and drypoint | |
Size: | 298 x 203 mm | |
Signed: | butterfly at left (3) | |
Inscribed: | no | |
Set/Publication: | 'Second Venice Set', 1886 | |
No. of States: | 3 | |
Known impressions: | 36 | |
Catalogues: | K.211; M.208; W.181 | |
Impressions taken from this plate (36) |
TECHNIQUE
The plate was executed in etching, and the only drypoint lines appear in the final state with the addition of the butterfly signature.
PRINTING
The Rialto was published with A Set of Twenty-six Etchings (the 'Second Venice Set') in 1886. When Whistler sold the plate to Messrs Dowdeswell and Alphonse Wyatt Thibaudeau (ca 1840- d.1892), it was suggested that Émile Frédéric Salmon (1840-1913) would print the sets. Salmon printed a good, clear impression of The Rialto in black ink on cream paper (
).

However, Whistler then decided to print the whole edition. The record of impressions for this edition lists two delivered to Messrs Dowdeswell on 2 April, nineteen on 22 July, one on 20 August, and twenty-five on 6 October 1886, making a total of 47. 7
7: Whistler to W. Dowdeswell, GUW #08717.
Impressions of the second state are in black ink on cream Asian paper (
), on laid paper with the Strasbourg Lily watermark (
); 'WW' countermark (
,
,
); and the watermark of a posthorn in a shield (
,
). Several impressions are in dark brown ink, on medium-weight buff laid paper (
); on cream laid paper with the watermark of a shield and 'W' (
); and on a pinkish ivory Asian laid paper (
).









