System Number: 00888
Date: 4 February 1887
Author: Dowdeswell and Dowdeswells[1]
Place: London
Recipient: JW
Place: [London]
Repository: Glasgow University Library
Call Number: MS Whistler D94
Document Type: ALS
DOWDESWELL & DOWDESWELLS,
FINE ART PUBLISHERS,
TWO DOORS FROM THE GROSVENOR GALLERY,
133, NEW BOND STREET,
TELEPHONE NO. 3779.
February 4th, 1887
Dear Mr Whistler -
The following are the numbers of the subjects we want - (see Wedmore's[2] Catalogue) -
88 . 93 . 97 . 99 .[3] (104) . (105) . (106) . (107) . (108) . 109 . (110) . (111) . (113) . (119) . 124 . 125 . (126) . (127) . (128) . (129) . (133) . (135) . 138 . (139) . (140) . 148 (without stamp of Printsellers Association) (187) . 188 . (189) . 190 . (191) . 192 . (193) . (194) . (195) . 196 . 197 . 198 . 199 . 200 [.] 201 . 202 . 203 . 204 . 205 . 206 . 207 . 208 . 209 . 210 . (211) . (212) [.] 213 . 214 .
Will you look through them, and let us know what you can do of them - and [p. 2] let us know the prices?
& oblige
Yours faithfully
Dowdeswell & Sons,
This document is protected by copyright.
Notes:
1. Dowdeswell & Dowdeswells
Print dealers and publishers.
2. Wedmore's
Frederick Wedmore (1844-1921), art critic [more]. He had written the second catalogue of JW's etchings, Wedmore, Sir Frederick, Whistler's Etchings: a Study and a Catalogue, London, 1886.
3. 88 . 93 . 97 . 99 . etc.
The etchings listed are Whistler's Mother (K.97), F.R.Leyland (K.102), Reading a book (K.111), Maude, Standing (K.114), The Desk (K.133), Resting (K.119), Agnes (K.134), The Model lying down (K.121), Two sketches (K.122), The Boy (K.135), Swinburne (K.136), A Lady at a Window (K.138), Nude Girl, Reclining (K.126), Speke Shore (K.144), Price's Candle Works (K.154), Battersea: Dawn (K.155), The Muff (K.113), Two slight sketches (K.120), The White Tower (K.150), The Troubled Thames (K.152), Temple Bar (K.162), The Thames towards Erith (K.165), Lord Wolseley (K.164), Irving as Philip of Spain, No.1 (K.170), St. James's Street (K.169a), Fulham (K.182), Glass-Furnace, Murano (K.217), Fish-Shop, Venice (K.218), The Dyer (K.219), Little Salute (K.220), Wool-Carders (K.221), Regent's Quadrant (K.239), Islands (K.222), Nocturne: Shipping (K.223), Old Women (K.224), Alderney Street (K.238), The Smithy (K.240), Stables (K.225), Little Salute (K.220), Dordrecht (K.242), A Corner of the Palais Royale (K.248), A Sketch at Dieppe (K.246), Booth at a fair (K.249), Cottage Door (K.250), Village Sweet-shop (K.251), The Seamstress (K.252), Sketch in St.James's Park (K.255), A Fragment of Piccadilly (K.256), Old-Clothes Shop, No.1 (K.257), Fruitshop (K.259), A Sketch on the Embankment (K.260), The Menpes Children (K.261), Little Steps, Chelsea (K.262) and T.A.Nash's Fruit-Shop (K.263), respectively. Fulham (K.182) had been stamped by the Printsellers' Association and published by the Fine Art Society, 28 January 1879. These etchings include a number of extremely rare prints, as well as very recent ones. Assuming that JW only had impressions of those he underlined, it would appear he did not keep much of a stock. Presumably he would still have the copper plates of recent etchings and could have printed them for Dowdeswell. Whether Dowdeswell wanted as complete a set of JW's etchings as possible, or was collecting them for a specific client is unknown. It would appear that it was completeness rather than quality that was required, since several of these etchings were unfinished. The catalogue numbers in this list which are underlined and enclosed in brackets have had this done in red ink, and also have a line drawn over them, for emphasis.