Skip to main content

Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

American, Australian, 1881-1962

Martin Lewis was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, on June 7th, 1881. He was the second of eight children and had a passion for drawing. 

At the age of 15, Lewis left home and traveled in New South Wales, Australia, and in New Zealand, working as a pothole digger and a merchant seaman. He returned to Sydney and settled into a Bohemian community outside Sydney. Two of his drawings were published in the radical Sydney newspaper, The Bulletin. He studied with Julian Ashton at the Art Society's School in Sydney. Ashton was an English-born Australian artist and teacher known for his support of the Heidelberg School and for his influential art school in Sydney. 

In 1900, Lewis left Australia for the United States. His first job was in San Francisco, painting stage decorations for William McKinley's presidential campaign of 1900. By 1909, Lewis was living in New York, where he found work in commercial illustration. His earliest known etching is dated 1915. However, the level of skill in this piece suggests he had been working in the medium for some time previously. It was during this period that he helped Edward Hopper learn the basics of etching

In 1920, after the breakup of a romance, Lewis traveled to Japan, where for two years he drew and painted and studied Japanese art. The influence of Japanese prints is very evident in Lewis's prints after that period. In 1925, he returned to etching and produced most of his well-known works between 1925 and 1935. Lewis's first solo exhibition in 1929 was successful enough for him to give up commercial work and concentrate entirely on printmaking. 

Lewis is most famous for his black and white prints, mostly of night scenes of non-tourist, real-life street scenes of New York City. During the Depression, however, he was forced to leave the city for four years between 1932 and 1936 and move to Newtown, Connecticut. His work from this period includes a number of rural, night-time, and winter landscape scenes in this area. 

Lewis returned to Manhattan in 1936 and continued to etch and paint. He taught printmaking at the Art Students League of New York from 1944 until his retirement in 1952. Now he is considered one of the most important American printmakers of the twentieth century.

Find original Martin Lewis prints and other art on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by Allinson Gallery, Inc.)

to
4
3
7
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
7
24
862
683
375
309
11
4
6
7
4
11
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
10
10
7
1
1
8
11
Artist: Martin Lewis
Stoops in Snow
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Stoops in Snow. 1930. Drypoint and sandpaper ground. McCarron catalog 89.state ii. 9 x 14 7/8 (sheet 13 1/4 x 18 7/16 ). Edition 115 recorded impressio...
Category

1930s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

'Tree, Manhattan' — Classic American Realism
By Martin Lewis
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Martin Lewis, 'Tree, Manhattan', drypoint, 1930, edition 91 (including 10 trial proofs), McCarron 87. Signed in pencil. A superb, atmospheric impression, in warm black ink, on cream...
Category

1930s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Spring Night, Greenwich Village
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Spring Night, Greenwich Village. 1930. Drypoint and sand ground. McCarron 85. 10 x 12 3/8 (sheet 13 1/4 x 15 5/8)). Edition 92. A rich, tonal impress...
Category

1930s American Modern Martin Lewis 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 Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching, Drypoint

Building a Babylon, Tudor City, NY.
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
McCarron 76. 12 7/8 x 7 7/8 (sheet 16 5/8 x 12 1/4). 6th trial proof (McCarron records 84 impressions including 4 trial proofs). Illustrated L'Amérique de la Dépression: Artistes En...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Little Penthouse
By Martin Lewis
Located in New York, NY
Martin Lewis (1881-1962), Little Penthouse, drypoint, 1931, signed in pencil lower right [signed in the plate in a rectangle lower left]. Reference: McCarron 91, only state. Printed ...
Category

1930s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Shadows on the Ramp
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Shadows on the Ramp. 1927. Drypoint and sand ground. McCarron 64. 9 x 10 1/2 (sheet 12 3/8 x 14). Edition 75 recorded impressions. A rich, tonal impression with drypoint burr, printe...
Category

1920s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

The Passing Freight, Danbury
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
.The Passing Freight, Danbury. 1934. Drypoint and sand ground. McCarron 108. 8 7/8 x 14 7/8 (sheet 12 1/7 x 17 5/8). Edition 46 (including 6 trial proofs). A rich, tonal impression p...
Category

1930s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Spring Night Greenwich Village
By Martin Lewis
Located in New York, NY
Spring Night, Greenwich Village--1930, Drypoint and Sand Ground.McCarron 85, only state. Edition 92. Signed in pencil. Signed in the plate, lower rig...
Category

1930s Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

"Under the Street Lamp" Imp. Etching
By Martin Lewis
Located in Houston, TX
Copperplate etching by Martin Lewis titled "Under the Street Lamp." Edition of 100. Printed on laid paper with watermark and 83 recorded impressions. McCarron catalogue raisonne #70. Signed in pencil with "imp" next to the signature. In the bottom right corner is a penciled 75 and in the top right corner is a 50. The etching is framed and was taken out of the frame for condition report and photographs. The gallery label is on the back of the matte inside the frame. Dimensions without Frame: H 15 in x W 9.5 in. Artist Biography: Martin Lewis (1881-1962) was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia on 7 June 1881. He was the second of eight children and had a passion for drawing. At the age of 15, he left home and traveled in New South Wales, Australia, and in New Zealand, working as a pothole digger and a merchant seaman. He returned to Sydney and settled into a Bohemian community outside Sydney. Two of his drawings were published in the radical Sydney newspaper, The Bulletin. He studied with Julian Ashton at the Art Society's School in Sydney. Ashton, an English-born Australian artist and teacher, known for his support of the Heidelberg School and for his influential art school in Sydney. In 1900, Lewis left Australia for the United States. His first job was in San Francisco, painting stage decorations...
Category

1920s Naturalistic Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching, Laid Paper

Quarter of Nine, Saturday's Children.
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Quarter of Nine, Saturday's Children. 1929. Drypoint. McCarron 78. 9 3/4 x 12 3/4 (sheet 12 7/8 x 17 7/8). Illustrated: American Etchers: Martin Lewis. Edition 107. A fine impression...
Category

1920s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Related Items
PHOEBE PASSES MY GATE
Located in Portland, ME
Hutty, Alfred. PHOEBE PASSES MY GATE. Drypoint, c. 1931. Edition size c.75. 8 1/8 x 7 1/4 inches (plate), 10 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches (sheet). Print...
Category

1930s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Mosque of the Sultan Bayazid, Constantinople — Vintage Realism
By Louis Conrad Rosenberg
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Louis Conrad Rosenberg, 'Mosque of the Sultan Bayazid, Constantinople', etching, 1927. Signed in pencil. Initialed and dated in the plate, lower left. A fine, richly-inked impression...
Category

1920s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

La Loge (The Lodge) /// Post-Impressionist Figurative French Paris People Art
By Louis Legrand
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Louis LeGrand (French, 1863-1951) Title: "La Loge (The Lodge)" Portfolio: Gazette des Beaux-Arts *Issued unsigned, though signed by LeGrand in the plat...
Category

1910s Post-Impressionist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching, Intaglio

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 Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Etching, Drypoint

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 Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Laid Paper, Drypoint, Etching

The Butterfly.
By Edmund Blampied
Located in Storrs, CT
Edmund Blampied, R.E. The Butterfly. 1928-29. Drypoint. Appleby 133. 9 5/8 x 7 7/8). Etching (sheet 15 1/4 x 10 3/16)on 100. A rich impression printed on cream-colored laid 'F.J.He...
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

The Butterfly.
The Butterfly.
H 9.63 in W 7.88 in D 0.5 in
Winter Tracery (Milford Connecticut)
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled 'Winter Tracery (Milford Connecticut)" is an original drypoint etching by noted American artist Philip Kappel, 1901-1981. It is hand signed and titled in pencil by the artist. The plate mark (Image) size is 9 x 12 inches, framed size is 17.25 x 21.25 inches. Custom framed in a wooden light grey frame, with light grey matting and black color fillet. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Philip Kappel — painter, illustrator, printer, writer, and lecturer — was born on February 10, 1901 in Hartford, CT and died in 1981. Kappel is best remembered for his landscapes, portraits, figures, marine, lithography, and etching. He held a teaching position with H. B. Snell, Boothbay, ME Studios, 1923 and 1924. His addresses in 1929 were 500 Fifth Avenue in New York City and, for the summer, care of Philip Little, 10 Chestnut Street, Salem, MA; and in 1935, Sarasota, FL. Kappel was a pupil of the Pratt Institute Art School in Brooklyn, NY and Philip Little (1857-1942) and held memberships with the North Shore Artists Association in Gloucester, MA; the Marblehead...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

The Beach at Long Branch
By Winslow Homer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
The Beach at Long Branch Woodengraving, 1869 Signed in the block lower right "WH" ( see photo ) Published in Appleton’s Journal of Literature, Science and Art, August 21, 1869 Condit...
Category

1860s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Engraving

The Acropolis, Athens
By Louis Conrad Rosenberg
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching and drypoint on cream wove paper, full margins. Signed in pencil, lower right margin. In generally good conditon with several scattered very light spots of foxing throughout,...
Category

1920s Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Handmade Paper, Drypoint, Etching

Tugs on the Hudson
By Charles Frederick William Mielatz
Located in Middletown, NY
Drypoint etching with engraving printed in black ink on Japanese mulberry paper, 4 1/2 x 3 3/8 inches (113 x 84 mm), full margins. In superb condition. A beautiful New York City river...
Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative 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 Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Archival Paper, Drypoint, Etching

Indian Friendship Dance
By Gene Kloss
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Indian Friendship Dance Drypoint, 1953 Signed in pencil lower right, (see photo) Edition 200 Published by The Society of American Graphic Artists, New York An impression is in the collection of SAAM, Washington and RISD Museum, Condition: Excellent Very rich impression with burr and selective whiping of the ink for atmospheric nocturnal effect. Image/Plate size: 8 3/16 x 11 15/16 inches Sheet size: 11 1/8 x 17 inches Reference: Kloss 450 "'Indian Friendship Dance' is an eloquent statement of something which Gene Kloss has both observed and participated in. It is an Indian dance that is thought of as entertainment, rather than ceremony, but it is essentially an idea expressed in action, and an idea that has universal meaning. The young men who dance wear costumes of exquisite workmanship, intricately wrought with beads and feathers and subtle combinations of colors. The dancers are trained from childhood but develop their own steps and exhibit distinctive strength and grace. Singers and a tom-tom accompany the dance and since it usually takes place at night, a campfire is the source of light. The conclusion occurs when all the onlookers, old and young and from many places, join hands with the dancers in a slow revolving movement, while those who can, sing the difficult but meaningful Indian song that flows with the rhythmical dance step and speaks of fellowship, brotherhood, friendship." - An excerpt from a descriptive statement, written by Lynd Ward, and distributed with the drypoint at the time of publication." Courtesy Old Print Shop Born Alice Glasier in Oakland, CA, Kloss grew up amid the worldly bustle of the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended the University of California at Berkeley, graduating with honors in art in 1924. She discovered her talents in intaglio printmaking during a senior-year course in figurative drawing. The professor, Perham Nahl, held up a print from Kloss’ first plate, still damp from the printing process, and announced that she was destined to become a printmaker. In 1925, Gene married Phillips Kloss, a poet and composer who became her creative partner for life. The match was uncanny, for in her own way Gene, too, was a poet and a composer. Like poetry, her artworks capture a moment in time; like music, her compositions sing with aesthetic harmony. Although she was largely self-taught, Kloss was a printmaking virtuoso. On their honeymoon the Klosses traveled east from California, camping along the way. They spent two week is Taos Canyon – with a portable printing press cemented to a rock near their campsite – where Gene learned to appreciate the wealth of artistic subject matter in New Mexico. The landscape, the cultures, and the immense sky left an indelible impression on the couple, who returned every summer until they made Taos their permanent home 20 years later. Throughout her life, Kloss etched more than 625 copper plates, producing editions ranging from five to 250 prints. She pulled every print in every edition herself, manually cranking the wheel of her geared Sturges press until she finally purchased a motorized one when she was in her 70s. Believing that subject matter dictated technique, she employed etching, drypoint, aquatint, mezzotint, roulette, softground, and a variety of experimental approaches, often combining several techniques on the same plate. She also produced both oil and watercolor paintings. Kloss’ artworks are filled with drama. Her prints employ striking contrasts of darkness and light, and her subjects are often illuminated by mysterious light sources. Though she was a devout realist, there is also a devout abstraction on Kloss’ work that adds an almost mythical quality. For six decades Kloss documented the cultures of the region-from images of daily life to those of rarely seen ceremonies. She and her husband shared a profound respect for the land and people, which made them welcome among the Native American and Hispanic communities. Kloss never owned a camera but relied instead on observation and recollection. Her works provide an inside look at the cultures she depicted yet at the same time communicate the awe and freshness of an outsider’s perspective. Although Kloss is best known for her images of Native American and Penitente scenes, she found artistic inspiration wherever she was. During the early years of their marriage, when she and Phil returned to the Bay Area each winter to care for their aging families, she created images of the California coast. And when the Klosses moved to southwestern Colorado in 1965, she etched the mining towns and mountainous landscapes around her. In 1970 the Klosses returned to Taos and built a house north of town. Though her artwork continued to grow in popularity, she remained faithful to Taos’ Gallery A, where she insisted that owner Mary Sanchez keep the prices of her work reasonable regardless of its market value. Kloss continued to etch until 1985, when declining health made printmaking too difficult. From her first exhibition at San Francisco’s exclusive Gump’s in 1937 to her 1972 election to full membership in the National Academy of Design, Kloss experienced a selective fame. She received numerous awards, and though she is not as well known as members of the Taos Society of Artists...
Category

1950s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Previously Available Items
Dock Workers under the Brooklyn Bridge
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Martin Lewis, N.A. (Dock Workers under the Brooklyn Bridge). c. 1916-18. Aquatint and etching. McCarron 15. 17 3/4 x 23 3/4 (sheet 26 x 31). 5 recorde...
Category

1910s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

The Great Shadow
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
The Great Shadow. 1925. Drypoint. McCarron 44. 9 7/8 x 7 inches (sheet 13 3/4 x 10 1/4). Edition of 86 recorded impressions (intended edition 100). A superb impression with carefully...
Category

1920s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

The Great Shadow
The Great Shadow
H 18.75 in W 14.75 in D 1 in
CHANCE MEETING
By Martin Lewis
Located in Portland, ME
Lewis, Martin. CHANCE MEETING. McCarron 131. Drypoint, 1940-41. Edition of 105. Signed in pencil, lower right. 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, 265 x 188 mm. In excellent condition.
Category

1940s Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Oncoming Rain
By Martin Lewis
Located in New York, NY
Martin Lewis created the copper plate for "Oncoming Rain" in 1929 using drypoint and sand ground techniques. The intended edition size was 50 impressions but only 19 have been record...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Oncoming Rain
Oncoming Rain
H 11.38 in W 13.38 in D 0.94 in
Down to the Sea.
By Martin Lewis
Located in New York, NY
Martin Lewis created the copper plate for "Down to the Sea" in 1929, using drypoint and sand ground techniques. The edition size is listed as 75 impressions but only 65 have been re...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Down to the Sea.
Down to the Sea.
H 19.5 in W 24 in D 1 in
Strength and Beauty.
By Martin Lewis
Located in New York, NY
This drypoint with sand ground by Martin Lewis was created in 1937. It is signed, lower right, in pencil. The printed image size is 10 7/8 x 13" (27.5 x 33 cm). Edition unknown wi...
Category

1930s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Politics
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Politics. 1936. Drypoint and sand ground. McCarron catalog 118 state ii. 9 3/4 x 10 5/8 (sheet 13 7/8 x 15). Trial proof 10, edition 27 (including 11 trial proofs). McCarron cites this impression to describe the second state. A rich, tonal impression printed on 'FJ Head & Co' cream wove paper with full margins. Provenance: estate of Delores D. Di Paola. Signed and annotated 'trial proof 10' in pencil. Housed in a subtle 17 3/4 x 18 1/2-inch silver-gold modern frame that enhances the tonality of the evening sky. The scene is Kent Hollow, a valley in the Appalachian Mountains in the town of Kent in Litchfield County, Connecticut. It is situated in the upper reaches of the West Aspetuck River, one of the cleanest rivers in Southern New England. Martin Lewis (1881–1962) was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia on 7 June 1881. He was the second of eight children and had a passion for drawing. At the age of 15, he left home and traveled in New South Wales, Australia, and in New Zealand, working as a pothole digger and a merchant seaman. He returned to Sydney and settled into a Bohemian community outside Sydney. Two of his drawings were published in the radical Sydney newspaper, The Bulletin. He studied with Julian Ashton at the Art Society's School in Sydney. Ashton, a famous painter, was also one of the first Australian artists to take up printmaking. In 1900, Lewis left Australia for the United States. His first job was in San Francisco, painting stage decorations...
Category

1930s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Politics
Politics
H 17.75 in W 18.5 in D 0.5 in
Arc Welders at Night.
By Martin Lewis
Located in New York, NY
Printed on light blue paper. This original print by Martin Lewis was made using drypoint and a sand ground on a copper plate in 1937. The exact edition is unknown - 33 impressions ...
Category

1930s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Sunday Garden Inspection.
By Martin Lewis
Located in Storrs, CT
Sunday Garden Inspection. 1927. Drypoint. McCarron catalog 67 state ii. 11 3/4 x 8 (sheet 16 x 11 5/8). Edition of 34 recorded impressions (intended edition 50). A rich, well-inked...
Category

20th Century American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Under the Street Lamp.
By Martin Lewis
Located in New York, NY
Etching, 1928. Edition 100, recorded impressions 83. Signed in pencil. Image size 14 7/8 x 9 3/8" (38 x 24 cm). McCarron #70. Very good condition Martin Lewis is considered on...
Category

1920s American Realist Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Ha'nted
By Martin Lewis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Martin Lewis, Australian/American (1881 - 1962) Title: Ha'nted Year: 1932 Medium: Drypoint Etching, signed in pencil Image Size: 13.5 x 9 inches Frame Size: 21.5 x 17.5 ...
Category

1930s American Modern Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Ha'nted
Ha'nted
H 21.5 in W 17.5 in
Chance Meeting
By Martin Lewis
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Initialed in the plate lower left Note: Printed on August 22, 1980 in an edition of 4 restrikes Reference: Paul McCarron, The Prints of Martin Lewis: A Catalogue Raisonne (Bro...
Category

1940s Martin Lewis Figurative Prints

Martin Lewis figurative prints for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Martin Lewis figurative prints available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Martin Lewis in drypoint, engraving, etching and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Martin Lewis figurative prints, so small editions measuring 7 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Thomas Hart Benton, Art Werger, and Warrington Colescott. Martin Lewis figurative prints prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $10,000 and tops out at $80,000, while the average work can sell for $29,500.

Recently Viewed

View All