Evening star., 1940-11-24

George" in the same year-out-
standing in the annals of the
French and Indian War. A mezzo-
tint by Charles Wilson Peale of the
Rev. Joseph Fillmore, dated 1887, is
next in sequence, followed by Ed
ward Savage's well-known engrav-
ing in line and stipple of the Wash
ington family at Mount Vernon in
1898.
Of especial interest will be found
two early views of Washington and
New York. The first, an aquatint
by William James Bennett, shows
our National Capital emerging from
the wilderness" as seen from a
point beyond the Navy Yard; the
date, 1884. The second is pano-
ramic view of New York from the
Hudson River in 1840, made by Rob-
ert Haven, jr., and it is also an
aquatint in color. There were no
picture postcards then-or. for that
matter, Photographers artists were
called upon for factual record of
such material as this of historical
significance.
Lithography had its vogue and
ascendance in the early decades OF
the 18th century, after which, being
commercialized, it fell into disuse
as a direct medium of artistic ex-
preston and was only brought back
within our own recollection by such
artists as Whistler, Pennell, Hassam
and Bellows, who rediscovered and
demonstrated its potentialities.
Rembrandt Peale's portrait of
Lord Byron, done prior to 1926. is
an outstanding example of work in
this medium during the early period,
but the representation of the latter
period is much larger and richer.
The first American etcher to be
represented is William Charles, who
worked from about ITS to 1920.
The one print which stands to his
credit in this exhibition, although
produced in 1914, has an essentially
contemporary flavor, or, more prop
erly, tang. 1t is of John Bull Max
ing New Batch of Ships" and was
undoubtedly, from our American
viewpoint, meant to be saucy. The
times. have changed.
From this beginning, or milepost,
of more than century's standing,
we pass swiftly to period of
superlative production ushered in
by the young and eccentric employe
of the photographic Office who lost
his Government job by etching peo-
pie and things seen on the margins
of the maps he was given to do.
This was none other than James A.
McNeill Whistler, who is now given
place among the great etchers of
all time, and is admirably repre-
sented in this collection by fine
impression of his well-known BLACK
Lions Wharf"
The roster of the etchers of
Whistler's day includes those of the
first water, such as Duveneck, Has
kell, Hassam, Mclaughlin, Mielatz,
Charles Platt, Smile and Twacht-
man; also Mary CasSatt, greatest
of our woman printmakers. All
these, except Miss Cassatt, employed
pure etching as their chosen me-
dium. She is represented by dry
point. The difference between the
two is this: In etching, the plate is
bitten by acid and no lines are cut
into the surface; in dry-point, no
acid is used and, instead, the linear
burrows are made with the needle.
Dry-point, for this reason, is more
closely allied to engraving than
etching, but the effect produced is
so similar thereto that the average
person cannot discern the differ
ence.
OF the present-day printmakers
of distinction, John Taylor Arms.
Ernest David Roth, Hermann Web
ster, John Sloan and Mahonri
Young, not to name all, employ, as
a rule, pure etching; whereas Ben
son, Heintzelman. Rosenberg and
Wasburn use most commonly dry
point. The latter medium is, per-
haps, more delicate than the former,
and fewer impressions can be pulled
from plate, but both depend for
merit and effect upon use of line.
1t is the way this line is handled
that gives prints in either of these
media power to enchant. Between
q fine etching or a dry-point and
music rendered by stringed instru-
ments there is very close analogy.
The one, however, floats away, while
the other remains with us indefi-
nitely.
Frank Duveneck and Charles
Platt are especially well represented