Small Head
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 13 × 6.6 cm (5 1/8 × 2 5/8 in.); Plate: 13.6 × 7.7 cm (5 3/8 × 3 1/16 in.); Sheet: 24.7 × 18.1 cm (9 3/4 × 7 3/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
87514
Art Historical Context
"Small Head" is a delicate etching by American artist Robert Frederick Blum, created on ivory laid paper. Though undated, this intimate work exemplifies the precision and subtlety of printmaking techniques popular in the late nineteenth century. The composition, measuring just 13 by 6.6 centimeters for the image itself, invites viewers to lean in and appreciate the fine lines and tonal nuances that etching can achieve. Etching involves incising a design into a metal plate using acid, allowing artists to produce multiple impressions while retaining intricate detail. Printed on ivory laid paper...
About the Artist
Robert Frederick Blum · 1857–1903
American mural painter. Comment on works: painter