JOHN SLOAN
The Little Bride.
Etching, 1906. 134x179 mm; 5¼x7 inches, full margins. Edition of 85 (from an intended edition of 100). Signed, titled and inscribed "100 proofs" in pencil, lower margin. From New York City Life. A very good impression with strong contrasts.In his diary, Sloan (1871-1951) commented, "Back in 1906 there was a considerable French population north of 23rd Street, and the church near Proctor's Theatre [141 West 23rd Street] was known as the French Church. The stone steps down which these newlyweds are escaping have since been removed. I hope the couple lived happy ever after." According to Levin, "Hopper may have first met John Sloan as early as April 1904, just after Sloan's move to New York where he lived in the same building as Robert Henri, but certainly by 1906 when Sloan substituted for Henri for one month at the New York School of Art. For Edward Hopper, Sloan represented one artist he could respect who prior to 1916 had worked regularly as a commercial illustrator. Sloan's influence is particularly visible during Hopper's formative years," (Levin, Edward Hopper as Illustrator, New York, 1979, page 9). Morse 138.