Fruit Stall

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

"Fruit Stall"; 1879/80, 1879/80, G.225; Kennedy 200; M.197; W.166:: etching & drypoint in dark brown ink on antique ivory laid paper with overall plate tone, plate signed with butterfly in image, center left; signed with a pencil butterfly on tab and inscribed "imp;" indicating that Whistler had printed it. There are 47 known impressions from 21 states; 8-13/16 x 5-13/16" image (trimmed inside the platemark). State 12 of 21. It was published by Messrs Dowdeswell and Thibaudeau with A Set of Twenty-six Etchings (the 'Second Venice Set') in 1886, the plate cancelled in 1887. There is a fold line in the center right, into the doorway. Knoedler stock number on verso. A richly inked impression.

Glasgow notes: While this copper plate was taken through many states, the image itself varied little from Whistler's initial conception. After he cleaned the abraded surface of the plate and reduced the scale of the figures, most additional work - in both etching and drypoint - involved adjustments to the size of the shadow below the awning and relatively minute changes to the two figures within the doorway.

Fruit Stall was published by Messrs Dowdeswell and Thibaudeau with A Set of Twenty-six Etchings in 1886. The complete edition was to consist of 30 impressions. A deceptively simple plate as originally composed in 1880, this was radically altered by Whistler as he worked on it between 1886-1887. He printed only a few impressions at relatively long intervals in 1886, sending solitary impressions to Messrs Dowdeswell on 2 April, 31 July, 20 August, 21 September and 2 October. 6 These were probably from the first five states of the etching. He may at this time have been printing complete sets rather than completing the edition of any one etching.

One document records impressions of Fruit Stall over a year and lists single impressions delivered on 31 July and 20 August 1886, two on 2 October 1886, as mentioned above, plus two on 2 April 1886, twenty-nine on 8 February 1887, a total of 35. 7 This does not exactly correspond to the individual receipts, and it may be that it simplifies the numbers printed, particularly during February 1887.

Since Whistler kept one or two proofs of each new state, as printer's perquisites, there are more impressions than might be expected of this etching.