Artwork description:

Etching on cream Arches paper. 1984.
Original artwork, drawn, etched and printed by the artist, Edition Number 8/25, signed on the front.
Paper Size: 9” x 10.5” Plate Size: 4” x 5.2”

Lillian Gish (1893 - 1993) who was born in Springfield, Ohio, U.S.A., has been the subject of many of my drawings and prints. This one was number II in the suite of six etchings entitled “The Lillian Suite” published in 1984.

She was one of the great stars of the silent cinema. At a time when there was no tradition of film acting, she was inventing it, and played a vital role in the development of cinema as we know it today. She went on the stage at the age of six, and in 1912 auditioned for the director D.W. Griffiths.

Her fragile beauty made her the ideal heroine, and she played in numerous films, which included the Civil War film “The Birth of a Nation” of 1914. After the advent of sound films (and Greta Garbo) Lillian Gish’s talents were neglected by M.G.M., and she returned to the theatre for many years. She ended her career playing opposite Bette Davis in the 1987 film “The Whales of August”.

Materials used:

Copper plate, varnish, acid, printing ink, cream Arches paper (made in France)