Etching and drypoint printed in dark brown on antique, cream laid paper, 1879-80. 227x151 mm; 9x6 inches. MacDonald's twelfth state (of 21). Edition of approximately only 30. Signed with the butterfly and inscribed "imp" in pencil on the tab lower left. Ex-collection M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, with the original label on the frame back and their stock number in pencil, verso. From Twenty-Six Etchings.
According to MacDonald, "A deceptively simple plate as originally composed in 1880, this was radically altered by Whistler as he worked on it between 1886-1887." This is indeed among Whistler's most developed plates, for which there are currently 21 known states. A brilliant, richly-inked and early impression of this very scarce etching, with selective wiping and all the subtle tonal nuances distinct. Kennedy 200; Glasgow 225.
