Portrait of Madame Delâtre
1895
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1895
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A woman in a dark dress stares straight ahead in this etching. Her face is sharp, lit by angled lines that give it depth. The background is mostly white—just a few faint marks to show space. Drypoint is the trick here. You scratch lines into a metal plate, then ink it. The scratches hold more ink, so the lines look velvety and deep. Look up Delâtre, Eugène next.
