Portrait of Self

 

James David Smillie

  1833 - 1909 (biography)

1900  

etching printed chine colle 

5 1/4" x 4 1/8" plate mark 

in pencil, lower right. 

proof from artist's collection; edition not stated 

dated: Feb 7 1900 in pencil in lower right corner 

Witthoff 91 

china paper supported on heavy wove 

1st state with the monogram and date Jan 7 1900 on collar 

Century Association, New York 

BC022 

SOLD

American etcher James David Smillie did this self portrait in 1900 at age 67, commissioned by the Century Association for their 1900 exhibition at the Century Club. In her catalogue raisonné Brucia Witthoft comments about this print on page 248: "Smillie began this vignette after a photograph by Pach on Jan. 5, 1900, making four sketches in the course of the month. On Jan. 29 he bit the plate and on Jan. 31 made the first proofs (this impression is one of those). He was still struggling with the commission (which had to be suitable for reproducing in small scale) in February."