Double signed etching portrait of medium William Eglington by James Tissot 1885
TISSOT, James Jacques Joseph (1836-1902). Original Signed Etching Portrait of spiritualist medium, William Eglinton (1857-1933). 1885.
Original etching on wove paper, plate size 159 x 102 mm, with full margins. Signed in pencil by James Jacques Joseph Tissot below the image and additionally signed by the sitter, William Eglinton. Housed in a modern glazed frame. A fine, clean impression in excellent condition.
An original signed etching by the French painter and printmaker James Jacques Joseph Tissot depicting spiritualist medium William Eglinton. Executed in 1885, the portrait was produced as the frontispiece to John S. Farmer's Twixt Two Worlds: A Narrative of the Life and Work of William Eglinton, the principal contemporary biography of Eglinton, and presents him seated before a writing case in a quiet, contemplative pose.
Following the death of his companion Kathleen Newton in 1882, Tissot developed a deep interest in Spiritualism and attended seances with Eglinton and other leading mediums. Newton’s death from tuberculosis deeply affected Tissot, prompting him to seek contact with the spirit world. Tissot attended séances conducted by Eglinton. During one such séance, Tissot reported perceiving the apparition of his deceased fiancée alongside the spirit guide of Eglinton, known as "Ernest." This encounter inspired his mezzotint "Apparition Medianimique" (1885), which visually represented the spiritual manifestation he witnessed.
While signed impressions by Tissot are themselves uncommon, examples additionally bearing the pencil signature of William Eglinton are rare.