Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7

John Taylor Arms
Guardians of the Spire; Amiens Cathedral Number 2

1937

About the Item

Guardians of the Spire; Amiens Cathedral Number 2 New York: 1937. Etching and drypoint on watermarked F.J. Head cream-colored, antique laid paper, 6 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches (171 x 252 mm), full margins. SIGNED AND TITLED in French in pencil in the lower margin, edition of 75. Printed by Frederick Thomas Reynolds, New York. Plate number 4 from the Gargoyle Series. One small, round pea-sized spot of paper thinning, perhaps an innate defect in the paper, well outside of image area, and completely unobtrusive. A dark, inky and rich impression, framed handsomely with archival materials and museum grade glass in a wood gilt frame with a garland and flower motif. Illustrated: Dorothy Noyes Arms, Churches of France p.20. [Fletcher 102]. Born in 1887 in Washington DC, John Taylor Arms studied at Princeton University, and ultimately earned a degree in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1912. With the outbreak of W.W.I, Arms served as an officer in the United States Navy, and it was during this time that he turned his focus to printmaking, having published his first etching in 1919. His first subjects were the Brooklyn Bridge, near the Navy Yard, and it was during his wartime travel that Arms created a series of extraordinarily detailed etchings based on gothic cathedrals and churches he visited in France and Italy (the plate for Guardians of the Spire was created in 1921). He used what was available to him, namely sewing needles and a magnifying glass, to create the incredibly rich and fine detail that his etchings are known for. Upon his return to New York after the war, Arms enjoyed a successful career as a graphic artist, created a series of etchings of American cities, and published Handbook of Print Making and Print Makers (Macmillan, 1934). He served as President of the Society of American Graphic Artists, and in 1933, was made a full member of the National Academy of Design. Arms died in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1953.
  • Creator:
    John Taylor Arms (1887 - 1953, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1937
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 6.75 in (17.15 cm)Width: 9.875 in (25.09 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Framed handsomely with archival materials and museum grade glass in a wood gilt frame with a garland and flower motif.
  • Gallery Location:
    Middletown, NY
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BH4711stDibs: LU1979210341392

More From This Seller

View All
Ruff's Farm
By Sidney Mackenzie Litten
Located in Middletown, NY
A nostalgic image of a bucolic farmyard and thatched cottage, hearkening to a bygone era. c 1920. Etching with drypoint on laid watercolor paper with deckle edges, and an indiscerni...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Drypoint, Etching

Chicago Skyline
By Paul Schumann
Located in Middletown, NY
A beautiful turn-of-the-century lake view of Chicago by an American artist known for his Texas landscapes. Etching with drypoint on watermarked Umbria laid paper with deckle edges, 7 1/4 x 10 7/8 inches (182 x 275 mm), full margins. Signed and numbered 4/25 in pencil, lower margin. In good condition with adhesive residue at the sheet edges on the verso, does not show through to the recto. A lovely Lake Michigan landscape...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Etching, Drypoint

The Enchanted Doorway; Venezia
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching and drypoint on antique cream laid paper, 12 3/8 x 6 9/16 inches (315 x 167 mm), full margins. Signed, dated, and inscribed "Edition 100" in pencil, lower margin. In very goo...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Etching, Drypoint

Cherry Street
By Charles Frederick William Mielatz
Located in Middletown, NY
A view of lower Manhattan's Cherry Street as it appeared at the turn of the 20th century. One of only 5 proof impressions. New York: 1904. Drypoint with aquatint on watermarked, cr...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Drypoint, Etching

Street in Marblehead, Massachussets
By Lawrence Wilbur
Located in Middletown, NY
Drypoint etching on white, buff laid paper with deckle edges, 8 13/16 x 12 inches (224 x 305 mm), full margins. One of only 25 proof impressions. In superb condition with excellent i...
Category

1930s American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Archival Paper, Drypoint, Etching

Steps to the Grand Canal, St. Mark's in the distance, Venice.
By Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
Located in Middletown, NY
A lovely view of Venice from the water. Etching with drypoint on antique cream laid paper with a large figural watermark, signed in pencil, lower right. 14 1/4 x 11 inches (362 x 280...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Laid Paper, Drypoint, Etching

You May Also Like

The Biggest of All; Telephone and Telegraph Building.
By Joseph Pennell
Located in Storrs, CT
The Biggest of All; Telephone and Telegraph Building. 1925. Etching. Wuerth 853. 9 7/8 x 11 7/8 (sheet 11 1/2 x 17 1/8). Edition probably 35. An atmospheric impression with plate tone, printed on antique laid paper...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Etching, Drypoint

The Gargoyle and His Quarry
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Storrs, CT
The Gargoyle and His Quarry, Notre Dame. 1920. Etching.Fletcher 90. 7 1/8 x 5 1/4 (sheet 10 1/2 x 9 1/16). Gargoyle series #1. Edition 75. A rich impression printed on 'FJHead&Co' c...
Category

1920s American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Etching, Drypoint

Guardians of the Spire (Amiens Cathedral Number 2)
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Storrs, CT
Guardians of the Spire (Amiens Cathedral Number 2). 1921. Etching. Fletcher 102. 6 3/4 x 9 7/8 (sheet 8 7/8 x 13 3/4). Gargoyle Series #4. Edition 75. Illustrated: Dorothy Noyes Arms...
Category

1920s American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Etching, Drypoint

The Gothic Spirit
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Storrs, CT
The Gothic Spirit (also called A Gargoyle, A Gothic Spirit). 1922. Etching and stipple. Fletcher 120. 11 5/8 x 7 (sheet 15 1/4 x 11 1/4). Gargoyle Series #8. Edition 130. Illustrated...
Category

1920s American Modern Landscape Prints

Materials

Etching, Drypoint

Irving Guyer, Christmas Trees on Second Street (NYC)
By Irving Guyer
Located in New York, NY
Philadelphia-born Irving Guyer attended the Art Students League and worked in New York City before moving to California. This print is signed and titled i...
Category

1930s American Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Fifth Avenue Bridge.
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Fifth Avenue Bridge. 1928. Drypoint. McCarron 72. 9 7/8 x 12 (sheet 12 3/4 x 15). Edition of 108 recorded impressions. A rich impression printed on cream laid paper, with full margin...
Category

1920s American Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Recently Viewed

View All