Dark Single Hollyhocks
Medium
drypoint in black
Dimensions
plate: 17.1 × 12 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.) sheet: 27.1 × 23.2 cm (10 11/16 × 9 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Accession Number
2008.115.4473
Art Historical Context
James David Smillie's *Dark Single Hollyhocks* (1890) captures the elegant drama of these towering flowers in a masterful drypoint print. Smillie, a leading American etcher of the late 19th century, was renowned for his precise yet atmospheric renderings of nature, influenced by the etching revival that emphasized the medium's expressive potential. Created during a period when artists like James McNeill Whistler championed intaglio techniques, this work exemplifies the intimate scale of fine art prints—its plate measures just 17.1 × 12 cm—inviting close contemplation. Drypoint, Smillie's chos...