In 1966 Mary Welsh Baskett, curator of prints at the Cincinnati Art Museum, organized the print section of Twachtman’s retrospective, held at the museum that year, and contributed an essay in the show’s catalogue (Baskett 1966). Over the years, while a gallery owner in Cincinnati, she continued to catalogue Twachtman’s prints, culminating in her John Henry Twachtman: American Impressionist Painter as Printmaker—A Catalogue Raisonné of His Prints (Baskett 1999), with an account of known impressions and information on lifetime impressions in collections (public and private).
Originally it was my intention to exclude Twachtman’s prints, referring readers to Baskett’s catalogue. However, they are so integral to his work in other media that it was necessary to include them here, where they could be cross-referenced and discussed in the larger context of his oeuvre, without being a comprehensive catalogue of impressions. They are each provided with references to Baskett as well as links and recent information. See below for a description of Twachtman’s lifetime and posthumous prints and a concordance to Baskett. In this catalogue, citations in etching entries are confined to literature and any exhibitions that include general information on a work; exhibitions of individual impressions are not included. The illustrations in this catalogue are examples of these images and therefore their provenance is not catalogued here.
LNP
Lifetime etching impressions
Aside from etchings printed by Twachtman or under his guidance, Baskett identifies the lifetime impressions as follows:
- Klackner Impressions (1888), printed in black ink with plate tone by the art dealer Christian Klackner: Boats on the Maas (E.703) and Holland Dykes (E.704).
- Fifth Avenue Art Galleries Impressions (1889), illustrated in the catalogue for the auction sale of the work of Twachtman and Julian Alden Weir, held February 7, 1889: Windy Day (E.801), Abandoned Mill (E.800), The Old Toll House at Bridgeport (Small Plate) (E.802); and Bridgeport (E.805). Baskett states that these “were printed in dark gray ink and characterized by their rather dry, dull appearance in comparison to other lifetime proofs. The etching plates were probably commercially printed from steel-faced plates in order to ensure consistency throughout a larger edition and thus lacked some of the variety notable in impressions printed by Twachtman himself” (p. 46).
- New York Etching Club Impressions (1893): Dock at Newport (E.810). Baskett states that these were printed in black ink. “The plates were cleanly wiped, without plate tone” (p. 46).
Posthumous etchings impressions
- Frederick Keppel and Company, New York, reprinted nineteen etchings for the exhibition. According to Baskett, the printer was probably Peter Platt, a professional printer who produced etchings for Childe Hassam and John Sloan. The artist’s son signed many of the prints: “JHT per AT.”
- In 1925, Arion Mueller reprinted the plate for Dock at Newport (E.810), printed for the 1893 New York Etching Club catalogue. See E.810.
