Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Jackson C. Storm (grandson of artist)
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1987
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
William Merritt Chase
(American, 1849–1916)
Self-Portrait
c. 1915
Monotype printed in black-brown ink on dark cream wove paper
Image: 7 7/8 x 6 in. (20.0 x 15.2 cm)
Sheet: 8 1/2 x 6 3/8 in. (21.6 x 16.2 cm)
Frame: 16 1/16 x 14 in. (40.8 x 35.6 cm)
Sheet: 8 1/2 x 6 3/8 in. (21.6 x 16.2 cm)
Frame: 16 1/16 x 14 in. (40.8 x 35.6 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1987.18
SignedUnsigned
InterpretationWilliam Merritt Chase’s Self-Portrait pictures the aging artist as a jovial figure wearing his characteristic dapper moustache, pince-nez eyeglasses, and flat-topped, wide-brimmed hat. Chase was a consummate image-maker who promoted his dashing artistic persona in several self-portraits and in the décor of his studio, lavishly decorated with unique furnishings and art objects, in New York’s Tenth Street Studio Building. This monotype is one of two self-portraits Chase made late in life in this medium; the other (c. 1915, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC), while stylistically and compositionally similar, shows the artist without his hat.
A monotype is a single print made by pressing a sheet of paper against an unetched metal surface on which inks have been applied: the creation of the print destroys the original design by removing much of the ink. The monotype came into favor at the end of the nineteenth century, and Chase was among the first artists to exhibit monotypes in the United States, in the 1880s. In 1914, when he was teaching a summer class at Carmel-by-the-Sea in California, Chase made several monotype impressions reportedly using a clothes wringer, and this Self-Portrait may have been among them. Using only black-brown ink, Chase vigorously rubbed and scratched through the medium to create the highlights that define forms. The resulting image suggests the dash and verve of Chase’s public image and mimics the dynamic brushwork that characterizes many of his oil paintings.
A monotype is a single print made by pressing a sheet of paper against an unetched metal surface on which inks have been applied: the creation of the print destroys the original design by removing much of the ink. The monotype came into favor at the end of the nineteenth century, and Chase was among the first artists to exhibit monotypes in the United States, in the 1880s. In 1914, when he was teaching a summer class at Carmel-by-the-Sea in California, Chase made several monotype impressions reportedly using a clothes wringer, and this Self-Portrait may have been among them. Using only black-brown ink, Chase vigorously rubbed and scratched through the medium to create the highlights that define forms. The resulting image suggests the dash and verve of Chase’s public image and mimics the dynamic brushwork that characterizes many of his oil paintings.
Jackson C. Storm (grandson of artist)
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1987
Exhibition History
William Merritt Chase (1849–1916), M. Knoedler & Company, Inc., New York, New York (organizer). Venue: M. Knoedler & Company, Inc., May 7–June 5, 1976. [exh. cat.]
American Treasures: Chase, Whistler and The Prendergasts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1996–January 5, 1997.
Singular Impressions: The Monotype in America, The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (organizer). Venues: The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., April 4–August 3, 1997; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 5–November 9, 1997; Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, January 15–March 31, 1998. [exh. cat.]
On Process: Studio Themes, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 13–March 4, 2001.
Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004. [exh. cat.]
American Treasures: Chase, Whistler and The Prendergasts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1996–January 5, 1997.
Singular Impressions: The Monotype in America, The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (organizer). Venues: The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., April 4–August 3, 1997; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 5–November 9, 1997; Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, January 15–March 31, 1998. [exh. cat.]
On Process: Studio Themes, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 13–March 4, 2001.
Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004. [exh. cat.]
Pisano, Ronald G. William Merritt Chase (1849–1916). (exh. cat., M. Knoedler & Company, Inc.). New York: M. Knoedler & Company, Inc., 1976. Ill. 103, p. 54. [specific reference to Terra print]
Christman, Margaret. Fifty American Faces from the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Press, 1978, pp. 214–18 (entry on National Portrait Gallery's monotype).
Kiehl, David. "Monotypes in America in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries." In The Painterly Print, Monotypes from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century. (exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1980. No. 50, pp. 152–53. (ill. of National Portrait Gallery monotype, dated c. 1911).
Pisano, Ronald G. A Leading Spirit in American Art: William Merritt Chase, 1849–1916. Seattle, Washington: Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, 1983. Text pp. 142, 184 (published with the date c. 1911). [specific reference to Terra print]
Gallati, Barbara. William Merritt Chase. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., in association with the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1995. Ill. p. 131 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]
Moser, Joann. Singular Impressions: The Monotype in America. (exh. cat., National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution). Washington, D.C.: Published for the National Museum of American Art by Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997. Fig. 28, p. 34 (dated c. 1911–1914).
Christman, Margaret. Fifty American Faces from the Collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Press, 1978, pp. 214–18 (entry on National Portrait Gallery's monotype).
Kiehl, David. "Monotypes in America in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries." In The Painterly Print, Monotypes from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century. (exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1980. No. 50, pp. 152–53. (ill. of National Portrait Gallery monotype, dated c. 1911).
Pisano, Ronald G. A Leading Spirit in American Art: William Merritt Chase, 1849–1916. Seattle, Washington: Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, 1983. Text pp. 142, 184 (published with the date c. 1911). [specific reference to Terra print]
Gallati, Barbara. William Merritt Chase. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., in association with the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1995. Ill. p. 131 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]
Moser, Joann. Singular Impressions: The Monotype in America. (exh. cat., National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution). Washington, D.C.: Published for the National Museum of American Art by Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997. Fig. 28, p. 34 (dated c. 1911–1914).