James Abbott McNeill Whistler. 1834-1903.
Savoy Pigeons. 1896. Lithograph. Way 118; Levy 164; Tedeschi, Stratis and Spink 154. 8 x 5 3/4 (sheet 11 1/8 x 7 3/4). Edition about 3,000. Illustrated: Print Collector's Quarterly 3(1913: 302. As published in The Studio, June, 1896, with their blindstamp,in the lower left-hand margin. Printed on the full sheet of cream laid paper. Monogrammed with the butterfly in the stone. $650.
Whistler returned to London from Paris in February 1896, seeking medical treatment for his wife, Beatrice, who was dying of cancer. They took rooms overlooking the Thames on the sixth floor of the newly-built, luxurious Savoy Hotel on the Strand. Whistler was able to sit with Beatrice while making drawings on lithographic transfer paper of the view from the window or the balcony.
Beatrice died a few weeks after this lithograph was made. Whistler was devastated. The feelings evoked in the image were so painful that he tried to recall the handful of impressions that he had given to close friends.
The Sunny Smithy. 1895. Lithograph. Way 85; Levy 130; Tedeschi, Stratis and Spink 121. 5 1/2 x 8 (sheet 9 1/16 x 12 5/16). Only 4 impressions listed by Way. Printed on Japanese vellum. Monogrammed with the butterfly in the stone in the center of the anvil. $7,500.
To order, to request additional or to be placed on the email list, please contact Jane Allinson (jane@allinsongallery.com).