A superb, richly inked, velvety impression in deep black ink on cream wove paper. The full sheet with margins (1 5/8 to 2 1/2 inches); previous archival hinges verso; and remnants of masking-tape hinges at the top-left and top-right sheet corners recto; otherwise in excellent condition. The image pristine and luminous, with burr throughout.
A rare proof impression, before steel-facing, printed by the artist on handmade Dard Hunter paper. Unlike the standard editions, which were printed in collaboration with master printers under Lewis’s close supervision, this impression was printed by the artist himself. It retains a particularly rich, velvety burr and a heightened tonal immediacy—qualities that tended to diminish after his plates were steel-faced — a process which Lewis implemented for the purpose of maintaining edition faithfulness and consistency. An exceptional impression offering an intimate sense of Lewis’s extraordinary achievement in drypoint rendering and printing.
Image size 9 13/16 x 6 13/16 inches; sheet size 14 x 10 1/4 inches.
Little Penthouse was commissioned for inclusion in the deluxe edition of "American Etchers, Vol. XI: Martin Lewis," published in an edition of 75 by the Crafton Collection in New York and distributed by P. & D. Colnaghi in London. There were 9 proofs, apart from the published edition.
Literature and Exhibition: The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock, Stephen Coppel, The British Museum, 2008.
Collections: Berea College Museum, British Museum (London), Connecticut College, Detroit Institute of Arts, Gibbs Art Gallery (Carolina Art Association), Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, England), Harvard University Art Museums, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Davidson Art Center (Wesleyan University), Yale University Art Gallery.
