Bertha Jaques (1863-1941) was ahead of her time in many ways.  A woman artist who photographed, wrote poems and was also a visual artist, she also helped rediscover the unpopular technique of etching in the United States late in the 19th century.  Influenced early on by Whistler’s cityscapes, Jaques meticulously taught herself, through trial and error, many finesses of the etching technique.  Jacques also liked to engrave with the drypoint needle, its delicacy particularly fitting for her floral compositions, which she sometimes hand colored.  She left us a large oeuvre, nearly 500 compositions rich.