The Hammock

1880

The Hammock, 1880. James Tissot (French, 1836–1902). Etching and drypoint on antique laid paper; image: 27.7 x 18.1 cm (10 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.); sheet: 35 x 20.1 cm (13 3/4 x 7 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Print Club of Cleveland in honor of Elizabeth Shearer 2018.301 This etching depicts Kathleen Newton, a British divorcee who frequently modeled for the French artist James Tissot during the 1870s, while he lived in London. Based on a painting of the previous year, the print shows Newton reclining on a tasseled hammock in the artist’s own garden, engrossed in a novel. Tissot reinterpreted many of his paintings as etchings, inspired by a revived interest in the medium. The inscription on this print, in Tissot’s handwriting, indicated that work on his printing plate was complete.