Tea-Room Du Front Anglais: The Drawing, Annotated 1st State, 1st State, Final State, Canceled Plate

First state with extensive drawing in pencil

Jean-Emile Laboureur (1877-1943), Tea-Room Du Front Anglais, etching and engraving, 1919-1923.  Reference: Sylvain Laboureur 189. Five sheets: the drawing for the print, an impression of the first state (of 2), an impression of the first state extensively drawn over in pencil in preparation for the second state, an impression of the final state, and an impression of the canceled plate.

The drawing: in pen and pencil, signed, titled and dated, with margins, 8 3/8 x 7 15/16 inches, the sheet 11 1/4 x 10 inches, on a thin tan wove tracing paper, in generally good condition, with tack holes in margins, with the Henri Petiet stamp verso (cf. Lugt 2021a). The drawing is sketched in pencil, then completed in pen.

The first state: signed in pencil and numbered; an impression with oily printing which gives many lines a stained or rusted look, on thin wove with margins, 8 7/8 x 8 3/8, the sheet 12 1/2 x 93/4 inches, ex Collection Petiet (with his stamp verso)

The first state as worked over in pencil in fantastic detail. Laboureur here draws in the extensive shadowing and linear development in preparation for the next state, giving the viewer an unusual insight into the workings of Laboureur’s printmaking genius.  On Van Gelder Zonen cream wove, in good condition, with margins, 9 x 8 1/2, the sheet 12 x 11 1/4 inches.

The second and final state – a fine impression in very good condition, on cream wove paper, with full margins (8 7/8 x 8 1/4, the sheet 13 1/4 x 10 1/4; signed left and numbered lower right in pencil (3/20), from the small final edition of 20.

An impression of the canceled plate, in good condition, ex Collection Petiet (with his stamp verso)

Detail of state 1 with pencil additions

The drawing for Tea Room Du Front Anglais

Detail from the drawing of Tea-Room Du Front Anglais