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Little Putney Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Little Putney Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Little Putney Bridge

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Title

Little Putney Bridge

 
Artist

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

  1834 - 1903 (biography)
Year
1879  
Technique
etching and drypoint 
Image Size
5 1/4 x 8 3/16" platemark 
Signature
signed with butterfly in plate, lower right center image. 
Edition Size
there are at least 56 known impressions 
Annotations
 
Reference
Glasgow 186; Kennedy 179; M.176; T.39; W.146 
Paper
antique-white laid paper with 'HONI SOIT QUI MALY PENSE' coat of arms 
State
iv/v 
Publisher
Printseller's Association, 1879; F. Wedmore, 1883 
Inventory ID
20284 
Price
SOLD
Description

From the Whistler on-line catalogue raisonne (Glasgow): One impression is on cream laid paper with the splendid watermark of the royal coat of arms and motto 'HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE', such as this impression. This watermark is seen on another etching of this date, Hurlingham, suggesting they were printed at the same time.

"Little Putney Bridge" was mostly sold through the Fine Art Society after publication in 1879, and in the volume published by Wedmore in 1883.

The main print-run of Little Putney Bridge was for publication in 1883, by which time the butterfly signature had faded badly. The size of this edition is not known. There are over 40 impressions of this final state in public collections. As published by Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921) in 1883, it was usually printed in black ink on wove paper.

Many impressions of the etching as published by the Fine Art Society and later, by Wedmore, were acquired by American collectors, and made their way by gift or bequest to public collections, particularly in America.

Cited from: Margaret F. MacDonald, Grischka Petri, Meg Hausberg, and Joanna Meacock, James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonné, University of Glasgow, 2012, on-line website at http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk.