Bibi Valentin

The American expatriate artist James A. McNeill Whistler created this sensitive etching and dry-point image of young Bibi Valentin. She was the daughter of fellow artist Henry Augustin Valentin, who encouraged Whistler’s printmaking activities during his time in Paris. Whistler’s portrait is skillfully composed, from the girl’s fashionable high-necked dress and buttoned boots to her inquisitive, engaging face. Whistler was renowned as one of the greatest printmakers in the 19th century, and his early prints from the 1850s often depict children, such as this example. The Museum also owns the copper plate from which this print was made. Together these objects provide insight into the printmaking process. The image is made up of lines incised onto the plate using either a sharp tool or acid; these incisions hold the ink. When the plate is printed onto a sheet of paper, the resulting image appears in reverse. The plate has been canceled, with vertical and horizontal lines struck through the image, indicating the completion of a limited edition of prints.