Cat. No. 425/II, variant

Easton

State/Variant:: State II of III, variant
Date:: c. 1941

Alternate Title:: Summer II; Interior #4; Easton Serving
Themes: Architecture, Figures, Objects
Techniques: Drypoint
Support:: Smooth, wove paper
Dimensions:: plate: 7 1/2 x 5" (19.1 x 12.8 cm); sheet: 13 1/16 x 9 15/16" (33 x 25.3 cm)
Signature:: "L. Bourgeois" lower right margin, pencil.
Publisher: unpublished
Printer: Louise Bourgeois
Edition:: 3 known impressions of state II
Edition Information:: Not issued as a published edition at any state.

The third known impression of state II is not in MoMA's Collection and is not reproduced here.
Impression:: Not numbered
Curatorial Remarks:: Although some impressions of this composition are dated 1940, Bourgeois and her family purchased the house in Easton in 1941, so a circa 1941 date is given here.
Former Cat. No.:: W & S 19
Description:: Drypoint
Inscription:: "Summer II" lower left margin, pencil, artist's hand.

The alternate titles are derived from this impression's inscriptions and inscriptions on other known impressions of this composition, all in the artist's hand.
State Changes and Additions:: Changes from state I, in drypoint: dress neckline altered; topknot added to hair; breast added to figure; figure's far arm further articulated; shading lines added to curtain in center composition; hatch marks added to tablecloth in lower center to lower right composition.
Artist’s Remarks:: "This is the house in Easton, with its dining room window opening out," Bourgeois said, referring to her family's country house in Connecticut. "This was to show how nice the house was, and to show how perfect a hostess I could be. I am very pleased.... This scene is very loving." (Quote cited in Wye, Deborah and Carol Smith. "The Prints of Louise Bourgeois." New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1994, p. 60.)
MoMA Credit Line:: Gift of the artist
MoMA Accession Number:: 123.1990.2