John Taylor Arms was born in Washington, D.C., in 1887. Arms studied architecture at Princeton and MIT and later became the country’s finest etcher of his age. His renderings of European and American architectural subjects are not only beautiful, but they are unrivaled in their technical virtuosity and nuanced light. In a recent exhibit, the Cleveland Museum noted, Arms believed that art could be a tool for the spiritual and moral improvement of mankind and that Gothic cathedrals represented the most significant expression of man’s aspirations. He viewed printmaking as a vehicle for disseminating images of subjects that would uplift and inspire contemporary society. He served as President of the Society of American Etchers and as an ambassador for American printmakers and printmaking throughout the world.
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'Downtown, New York' — 1920s Modernism
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
John Taylor Arms, 'Downtown, New York', etching with aquatint, 1921, edition 75, Fletcher 108. Signed, dated, and numbered 14/75 in pencil. A superb, finely nuanced impression, in d...
Etching
Notre Dame de Paris
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
A superb, dark impression of a well known scene by Arms. Etching with aquatint on watermarked handmade F.J. Head & Co. laid paper, 12 3/8 x 13 15/16 inches (315 x 354 mm), full marg...
Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Etching, Aquatint
Chartres; Cathedral of Notre Dame from the River
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
A superb impression on Japon paper, one of only three proofs. Etching on handmade Japon paper with a deckle edge, 13 1/8 x 9 7/8 inches (333 x 252 mm); sheet 18 1/4 x 13 3/4 inches ...
Handmade Paper, Etching
A Gable in the Grande Rue, Lisieux
By John Taylor Arms
Located in New Orleans, LA
This image is the 3rd etching created by Arms. It was printed byGrederick Reynolds in an edition of 116. Referenced as Fletcher #3 the image is the second in his Gable series. Lis...
Etching
Umbrian Street; An Assisi Street
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on cream laid watermarked FJ Head paper with a deckle edge, 10 1/4 x 5 3/8 inches (262 x 137 mm); sheet 18 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches (457 x 260 mm), full margins. Signed, titled, d...
Handmade Paper, Etching, Laid Paper
Grim Orvieto
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on watermarked FJ Head cream laid paper with a deckle edge, 11 1/8 x 8 3/4 inches (283 x 223 mm); sheet 14 3/4 x 11 1/2 inches (374 x 292 mm), full margins. Signed and dated ...
Handmade Paper, Etching, Laid Paper
La Bella Venezia
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
(New York: John Taylor Arms, 1930) Etching on antique cream laid paper with a fancy "G" watermark, 7 1/8 x 16 1/2 inches (182 x 442 mm), full margins. Signed, dated and inscribed "Ed. 70" in pencil, lower margin. From a total edirion of 81 plus 5 trial proofs. Printed by Henry E. Carling. Number 18 from the Italian Series. A superb impression of this scarce print, with all of the subtleties and details of the reflections in the water printing clearly. [Fletcher 232] [Illustrated: Page 192, Arms, Dorothy Noyes, "Hilltowns and Cities of Northern Italy"]. Along with his constant companion and wife, Dorothy Noyes, Arms spent decades exploring and documenting gothic structures throughout Europe. Noyes, an accomplished travel writer, had gifted Arms an etching set...
Etching
Saint Catherine's Belfry, Honfleur
By John Taylor Arms
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching on elaborately watermarked, antique, cream laid Dard Hunter paper, 13 5/8 x 7 1/78 inches (347 x 181 mm), full margins. Signed, titled, dated and inscribed "Ed. 100 II." From...
Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Etching