Counterproof of an impression from a name plate for Edward D. Adams

About this artwork

This counterproof etching by Alphonse Legros (circa 1892) represents an intermediate stage in creating a bronze name plate for Edward D. Adams, a prominent American financier and art patron. The Metropolitan Museum holds multiple related works from this commission: studies, sketches, and counterproofs documenting Legros's creative process. Counterproofs—made by pressing fresh ink from a newly printed impression onto another sheet—create reversed images useful for assessing compositional balance ...

Art Historical Context

This counterproof etching by Alphonse Leg, created around 1892, captures an intriguing intermediate step in designing a bronze name plate for D. Adams, a American financier and art patron Produced by pressing fresh ink from a newly printed etching onto another sheet, the counterproof yields a reversed "mirror" image. This technique allowed Legros to evaluate the composition's balance and refine details before transferring the design to metal—a clever printmaker's tool that reveals the hidden mechanics of artistic creation. Legros (1837–1911), a French-born artist who settled in London in 1863 at James McNeill Whistler's urging, became a pivotal figure in Britain's etching revival. As a teacher at the South Kensington School of Art (later the Royal College of Art), he blended precise French draftsmanship with English traditions, mentoring a new generation of printmakers through portraits, landscapes, and religious scenes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds several related works from this commission—sketches, studies, and counterproofs—gifted by Adams himself in 1921. Adams (1846–1931), known for pioneering hydroelectric power at Niagara Falls, fostered art through commissions and purchases. His generous donation preserves these typically discarded preparatory materials, offering visitors a rare window into the artist-patron collaboration and the meticulous process behind enduring bronzework.

About the Artist

Alphonse Legros · 1837–1911

Alphonse Legros (1837–1911) was born in Dijon, France, and trained in Paris at the drawing school of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose unconventional teaching method — which emphasised memory drawing and acute observation over academic convention — would leave a lasting mark on Legros's practice. At Lecoq's school he formed friendships with Jules Dalou and Auguste Rodin that endured throughout hi...