Kerr Eby, N.A. Prints and Multiples

Snow on the Aspetuck. 1927. Etching. Giardina catalog 109 state iii. Image: 6 1/16 x 10 7/8 (sheet 9 x 13 3/4). Trial proof, apart from the edition of 90. A rich impression with plate tone printed on cream-laid paper. Signed and annotated 'trial proof' and 'imp' (imprimit) in pencil, indicating a proof printed Eby Kerr Eby is one of the great 20th-century printmakers, heralded for his use of negative space and plate tone. His plates usually held a combination of drypoint and etched lines, resulting in an interplay of strong lines and delicate details. His landscapes are just as telling of his talents and skilled hand. They speak to his ability to edit, as he would enlist only one or two lines to do the work of many- letting the almost unmarked plate...

Snow Fields. 1924. Etching. Giardina 92. 7 1/2 x 12 3/4 (sheet 9 3/4 x 14 7/8). Edition 90-100. A rich impression with plate tone printed on cream-laid paper. Illustrated: Flint, Contemporary American Prints, 1931; Signed and annotated 'imp' (imprimit) in pencil, indicating a proof printed Eby. The scene is probably Westport or Cos Cob, Connecticut. Kerr Eby is one of the great 20th-century printmakers, heralded for his use of negative space and plate tone. His plates usually held a combination of drypoint and etched lines, resulting in an interplay of strong lines and delicate details. His landscapes are just as telling of his talents and skilled hand. They speak to his ability to edit, as he would enlist only one or two lines to do the work of many- letting the almost unmarked plate...

The Cow Shed. 1946. Etching, aquatint, and sandpaper ground. Giardina 211. 9 5/8 x 15 1/8. Edition 100. Tape marks at the margin edges, well away from the image. A rich impression printed on cream wove paper with full margins. Signed and annotated 'imp' (imprimit) in pencil, indicating a proof printed Eby. Housed in an 18 3/4 x 24-inch archival mat, suitable for framing. Eby is known for his stark and lovely landscapes of Connecticut in the winter. He first got to know Connecticut when he spent several summers at the artist’s colony at Cos Cob immediately before the First World War. There he became friends with the American Impressionist artist Childe Hassam, who was almost thirty years older than Eby. Eby and Hassam had a close working relationship, with the younger artist providing the older artist with technical advice on etching and the use of his etching press. Following the War, Eby married Frances Sheldon, whom he had met in Cos Cob, and the couple eventually settled in a pre-Revolutionary War saltbox...

Although the title 'Lobster Fleet' calls to mind numerous vessels at sea in a single spot (and there's a group in the distance), in fact the print features a lone fisherman in a smal...

Polo Plate B. 1927. Aquatint. Giardina 113. 8 5/8 in. x 15 9/16 (sheet 12 3/4 x 19 1/8) . Edition of 90. Published state. A barely-noticeable 1/8-inch abr...

White Tails in the Morning. 1935. Etching. Giardina catalog 183. state i. 8 1/4 x 12 1/2 (sheet 10 5/8 x 14 7/8). Edition approximately 100. Mat line; otherwise in good condition. A fine impression with subtle plate tone, printed by the artist on cream wove paper. Signed and annotated 'imp' in pencil. where the artist lived. Housed in a 16 x 20-inch archival mat. The scene is probably near the artist's farmhouse in Westport, Connecticut. Kerr Eby...

Kerr Eby's "Oaks in Windsor Park" is a 1927 etching on laid paper, with margins. It is signed in pencil. Kerr Eby was born in 1890 in Tokyo, Japan, the son of Methodist missionaries from Canada. He grew up studying art, which his parents encouraged, as his mother came from a family of prominent artists. As a boy he worked as a printer’s apprentice in a newspaper office which may have encouraged his interest in printing as an artistic medium. After graduating from high school in 1907, Eby moved to New York City to study art, first at the Pratt Institute, and later at the Art Students League. During this period he formed a number of influential friendships with major artists such as John Henry Twachtman and Childe Hassam and joined a summer artists’ colony founded by them at Cos Cob, Connecticut When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Eby, too, became involved. After unsuccessful efforts to obtain a commission as an artist, he enlisted and ultimately was assigned to the 40th Engineers, Artillery Brigade, Camouflage Division, which was sent to the war front where the Division helped to protect the troops. Eby saw much battle action, especially in northeastern France, including at Belleau Wood and Meuse-Argonne, and in 1918, he participated in the battles of Château-Thierry and Saint-Mihiel, which were instrumental in preventing the Germans from advancing on Paris. In addition to his work as a camoufleur, he also made drawings of the images he witnessed on the battlefield. In 1936, concerned about the unstable world situation that would soon lead to World War II, Eby published his book "War" (Yale University Press, New Haven) which illustrated 28 prints and drawings he had made during his experience in World War I and which included an essay outlining his abhorrence of war and his opinion of its futility and barbarity. Although he was himself too old to serve during the Second World War, he served as a correspondent in the Pacific in the combat artist program developed by Abbott Laboratories (which was instrumental in the development of plasma and hired artists to depict its use in the war). Eby again drew images of soldiers, and in November 1943, he went ashore with the U.S. invading force in Tarawa, one of the most brutal battles in the history of the Marines. He again witnessed much death and, again, recorded his experience in numerous prints and drawings. His friend John Taylor Arms, in a moving tribute to Eby written shortly after his death in 1946, felt that Eby, like the soldiers whose deaths he recorded, had also given his life for the cause, because Eby had contracted a tropical disease while living with the troops for three weeks in a foxhole in the jungles of Bougainville, a condition from which he never recovered and which contributed to his early death. In creating anti-war works, Eby joined a long line of artists stretching back into antiquity. Of these, Goya’s etchings...

Kerr Eby 'Shipping' also 'Shipping, Connecticut', etching and sandpaper ground, 1932, edition 100, Giardina 171. Signed in pencil and titled 'Shipping' in the bottom left sheet edge. A superb, atmospheric impression, with skillfully controlled plate tone, on heavy, cream wove paper; the full sheet with wide margins (2 to 2 3/4 inches), in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 8 3/8 x 17 1/4 inches (316 x 176 mm); sheet size 13 7/16 x 8 3/8 inches (341 x 213 mm). The scene depicted was on the Connecticut coast...

Kerr Eby 'Two Bridges', etching, 1930, edition 90, Giardina 149. Signed and annotated 'Trial No. 4' in pencil. A fine, atmospheric impression, with selective plate tone, on cream laid paper; the full sheet with margins (1 1/2 to 1 5/8 inches), in excellent condition. A fifth state (final) trial proof, printed by the artist. The scene depicted is of the east side of Manhattan in the foreground looking across the East River with the Brooklyn Bridge in the middle ground and the Manhattan Bridge in the distance. Impressions of this work are in the permanent collection of the following institutions: American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, Boston Public Library, Herbert F, Johnson Museum of Art, Hood Museum of Art (Dartmouth College), Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of American Art, New York Historical Society, New York Public Library, Palmer Museum of Art (Pennsylvania State University), Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Gallery. ABOUT THE ARTIST Kerr Eby was born in 1890 in Tokyo, Japan, the son of Methodist missionaries from Canada. The family returned to Vancouver when Eby was only three, and he grew up studying art encouraged by his parents as his mother was from a family of prominent artists. By age twelve, he had lived in Vancouver, Kingston, Toronto and Bracebridge where he found work as a ‘printer’s devil’ on the local Bracebridge newspaper. After graduating from high school in 1907, Eby moved to New York City to study art, first at the Pratt Institute, and later at the Art Students League. He enrolled in art classes at Pratt Institute while working for a lithographic firm earning $4.00 a week. His pay barely covered his room and drawing supplies. Within a year, starving and feeling defeated, he returned to Canada and was employed by a surveying party in Northern Ontario. Eby gradually regained his dream of becoming an artist, and in his spare time, he began to draw the surrounding wilderness landscapes. By fall he had returned to New York to attend night classes at the Art Students League while working for another lithographic firm. He spent several more summers surveying in Northern Ontario before he was able to make a living as an illustrator. During this period he formed several friendships with influential artists including John Henry Twachtman and Childe Hassam and joined a summer artists' colony founded by them at Cos Cob, Connecticut. He supported himself by working as a magazine illustrator and at the American Lithographic Company. Through diligent study and practice, Eby refined both his drawing and printmaking techniques. In 1917, when the United States entered World War I, Eby joined the U.S. Army. Failing to obtain a commission as an artist, he was assigned first to ambulance duty and later as a sergeant in the 40th Engineers in France. He spent most of WWI on the front line as a camouflager of the field artillery ‘big guns”. On his time off duty, he would sketch everything he witnessed, from the explosive big guns and men in action to the dead soldiers in the field. He sent the drawings home each week, and upon his return from the war, they became the basis for his first successful group of etchings. He continued creating his war-related prints throughout the 1920s and '30s as his work became widely exhibited Frederick Keppel, the renowned print dealer and a relative of Eby, became the exclusive agent for many of his print editions. With another global conflict beginning in the mid-1930s, Eby wanted to show the world the true face of war...

Kerr Eby captures an interior room of a ruined house with a table surrounded by six dead soldiers in sitting and prone positions. They died where they sat in a log shelter pierced by cannon fire. One holds a bottle. This image is in the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Eby was born in 1890 in Tokyo, Japan, the son of Methodist missionaries from Canada. He grew up studying art, which his parents encouraged, as his mother came from a family of prominent artists. As a boy he worked as a printer’s apprentice in a newspaper office which may have encouraged his interest in printing as an artistic medium. After graduating from high school in 1907, Eby moved to New York City to study art, first at the Pratt Institute, and later at the Art Students League. During this period he formed a number of influential friendships with major artists such as John Henry Twachtman and Childe Hassam and joined a summer artists’ colony founded by them at Cos Cob, Connecticut When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Eby, too, became involved. After unsuccessful efforts to obtain a commission as an artist, he enlisted and ultimately was assigned to the 40th Engineers, Artillery Brigade, Camouflage Division, which was sent to the war front where the Division helped to protect the troops. Eby saw much battle action, especially in northeastern France, including at Belleau Wood and Meuse-Argonne, and in 1918, he participated in the battles of Château-Thierry and Saint-Mihiel, which were instrumental in preventing the Germans from advancing on Paris. In addition to his work as a camoufleur, he also made drawings of the images he witnessed on the battlefield. In 1936, concerned about the unstable world situation that would soon lead to World War II, Eby published his book "War" (Yale University Press, New Haven) which illustrated 28 prints and drawings he had made during his experience in World War I and which included an essay outlining his abhorrence of war and his opinion of its futility and barbarity. Although he was himself too old to serve during the Second World War, he served as a correspondent in the Pacific in the combat artist program developed by Abbott Laboratories (which was instrumental in the development of plasma and hired artists to depict its use in the war). Eby again drew images of soldiers, and in November 1943, he went ashore with the U.S. invading force in Tarawa, one of the most brutal battles in the history of the Marines. He again witnessed much death and, again, recorded his experience in numerous prints and drawings. His friend John Taylor Arms, in a moving tribute to Eby written shortly after his death in 1946, felt that Eby, like the soldiers whose deaths he recorded, had also given his life for the cause, because Eby had contracted a tropical disease while living with the troops for three weeks in a foxhole in the jungles of Bougainville, a condition from which he never recovered and which contributed to his early death. In creating anti-war works, Eby joined a long line of artists stretching back into antiquity. Of these, Goya’s etchings...

Rouen is a city in France, northwest of Paris. This interior scene of its famous cathedral depicts the view down the main aisle. It is #130 in the Giardina catalogue raisonne and is in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. It is referenced in "Kerr Eby, The Complete Prints" by Bernadette Passi, published by M Hausberg, New York 1997. Kerr Eby was born in 1890 in Tokyo, Japan, the son of Methodist missionaries from Canada. He grew up studying art, which his parents encouraged, as his mother came from a family of prominent artists. As a boy he worked as a printer’s apprentice in a newspaper office which may have encouraged his interest in printing as an artistic medium. After graduating from high school in 1907, Eby moved to New York City to study art, first at the Pratt Institute, and later at the Art Students League. During this period he formed a number of influential friendships with major artists such as John Henry Twachtman and Childe Hassam and joined a summer artists’ colony founded by them at Cos Cob, Connecticut When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Eby, too, became involved. After unsuccessful efforts to obtain a commission as an artist, he enlisted and ultimately was assigned to the 40th Engineers, Artillery Brigade, Camouflage Division, which was sent to the war front where the Division helped to protect the troops. Eby saw much battle action, especially in northeastern France, including at Belleau Wood and Meuse-Argonne, and in 1918, he participated in the battles of Château-Thierry and Saint-Mihiel, which were instrumental in preventing the Germans from advancing on Paris. In addition to his work as a camoufleur, he also made drawings of the images he witnessed on the battlefield. In 1936, concerned about the unstable world situation that would soon lead to World War II, Eby published his book "War" (Yale University Press, New Haven) which illustrated 28 prints and drawings he had made during his experience in World War I and which included an essay outlining his abhorrence of war and his opinion of its futility and barbarity. Although he was himself too old to serve during the Second World War, he served as a correspondent in the Pacific in the combat artist program developed by Abbott Laboratories (which was instrumental in the development of plasma and hired artists to depict its use in the war). Eby again drew images of soldiers, and in November 1943, he went ashore with the U.S. invading force in Tarawa, one of the most brutal battles in the history of the Marines. He again witnessed much death and, again, recorded his experience in numerous prints and drawings. His friend John Taylor Arms, in a moving tribute to Eby written shortly after his death in 1946, felt that Eby, like the soldiers whose deaths he recorded, had also given his life for the cause, because Eby had contracted a tropical disease while living with the troops for three weeks in a foxhole in the jungles of Bougainville, a condition from which he never recovered and which contributed to his early death. In creating anti-war works, Eby joined a long line of artists stretching back into antiquity. Of these, Goya’s etchings...

Kerr Eby portrays the sacrifice of brave WWI soldiers in France with the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. This image is a trial proof of the edition and was signed and printed by the artist. Born to Canadian missionary parents stationed in Japan, Harold Kerr...