Arc Welders at Night
Drypoint and sand ground, 1937, McCarron 124, edition 33. 10 x 8 in. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression printed on white wove paper. The printed surface is pristine. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. To quote McCarron, "Lewis's use of the almost cubist device of overlapping, transparent planes of light, produced by the arc welder's torch, is unique in his oeuvre." (See page 212.) (Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, NY.)
SOLD

Arch, Midnight
Drypoint, 1930, McCarron 84, edition 99 plus 12 trial proofs. 8 x 11 1/2 in. Signed in the plate lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, dark impression with full margins. The condition is fine with the printed surface pristine without any blemishes. According to McCarron, a possible source of inspiration for this print is L'Arche du Pont, Notre Dame, by Charles Meryon.
SOLD

Break in the Thunderstorm
Drypoint, 1930, McCarron 86 (ii/II), intended edition of 85. 12 3/8 x 9 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression printed on a wove paper with a subtle greenish-blue tint. The margins are full and the condition is exceptionally fine. According to the catalogue, the location is the corner of 34th Street and Park Avenue, near Lewis's studio. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, New York (with their label). The McCarron catalogue states 66 recorded impressions including 16 trials.
SOLD

Building a Babylon, Tudor City, N.Y.
Drypoint, 1929, McCarron 76, edition 84. 12 3/4 x 7 7/8 in. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a superb, luminous impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. Tudor City was completed in 1928 as a middle class housing project and became a historic district in 1988. The location is 40th to 43rd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. As McCarron aptly states on page 140 of the catalogue raisonné, "The dripping stains on the embankment were possibly influenced by another print, Charles Meryon's 'La Morgue, Paris,' of 1854. Lewis included Meryon among the etchers he admired..."
$10,000

Chance Meeting
Drypoint, 1940-41, McCarron 131, edition 105. 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. Initialed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. This outstanding print was commissioned by the Society of American Etchers and they were originally known as the Brooklyn Society of Etchers. The plate was printed by Charles White. Thirty-seven impressions are cited in museum collections. As McCarron states, "This is one of Lewis's most complex prints, one in which he was able to harmonize many diverse elements."
SOLD

Corner Shadows
Drypoint and sand ground, 1930, McCarron 83 (ii/II), edition 242. 8 3/8 x 9 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a fine, luminous impression with full margins. The condition is fine apart from two small indiscreet hinges on the verso, top corners. This stellar work is included in at least twenty-five museum collections. This work was commissioned by the Print Club of Cleveland and the preparatory drawings and proofs are now in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The edition was printed by Charles S. White.
SOLD

Country Scene with Man Walking
Etching and drypoint, circa 1915, McCarron 6, edition listed as 1 recorded impression. 9 x 10 1/2 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a fine impression printed on laid paper with light plate tone. The margins are wide and the condition is good. There's a suggestion of toning showing within an early mat opening and a faintly darkened area in the tree branches at left. The one impression listed and illustrated in the catalogue by McCarron is in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts. This is the second recorded impression of this early print and there are no listed auction records to indicate any other impressions. This exceedingly rare early print is indicative of the artist's emerging skills as a printmaker.
SOLD

Cronies
Aquatint, 1932, McCarron 96, edition 60. 9 3/8 x 10 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a fine impression printed on off-white laid paper and in very good condition. (There's the faintest trace of toning within a previous mat opening.) The margins are full. Ex-collection: Patricia Lewis with her ink stamp, verso, at the bottom on the sheet. This print was done while Lewis was living in rural Connecticut.
SOLD

Cronies
Aquatint, 1932, McCarron 96, edition 60 including three trial proofs. 9 3/8 x 10 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil, lower right and also inscribed, "first trial proof." This is a rich, dark impression of an UNRECORDED FIRST STATE. This impression is before considerable work (lightening) on the clothes of the figures at left, and before multiple changes (lightening) on the right between the tire tracks and also further to the right side. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. This print was done while Lewis was living in rural Connecticut.
SOLD

Derricks at Night
Drypoint, 1927, McCarron 62 (i/II); edition 104. 7 7/8 x 11 3/4 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The paper is ARCHES and the condition is excellent. According to McCarron, "'Derricks at Night' is the only Lewis print with such extensive changes between states. The second state was begun two years after he had essentially finished the composition, an exception to Lewis's usual procedure in completing a plate." Both versions are exceptionally fine and a casual glance at museum collections which own this print show an almost equal number of museums own the first or the second states. First state impressions are owned by the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and the Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, among others. This engaging print has a compelling sense of geometry and a single worker walks along on the street at night, conveying the solitude of the evening.
$9,000

Down to the Sea at Night
Drypoint and sand ground, 1929, McCarron 79, edition 65. 7 7/8 x 12 3/4 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression printed on white laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is fine. According to McCarron, the intended edition was 75 and only 65 were recorded. This unusual and captivating work is an uncommon print today.
SOLD

Ha'nted
Drypoint and sand ground, 1932, McCarron 100, edition 107. 13 1/4 x 8 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil and inscribed, "to Chas S. White from M.L." This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent apart from a small speck of printer's ink in the outer right margin. (Note: Charles S. White was the printer for many of Lewis's plates. There is no record that Lewis used any other printer than White throughout his career.) This outstanding, underrated print was done in Sandy Hook, Connecticut where the Lewis family lived in the early 1930s.
$12,000

Ice Cream Cones
Drypoint and sand ground, 1928, McCarron 73, edition 70. 9 3/8 x 14 3/4 in. Signed in the plate lower left. Signed in pencil. (This fine impression was printed by the artist.) The margins are full and the condition is very good. (There's a small, subtle stain to the right of the image in the margin only.) This impression went through Kennedy Galleries as their price code is in pencil on the verso.
SOLD

Night in New York
Etching, 1932, McCarron 102, edition 135. 8 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a fine, richly inked impression printed with retroussage. This was the presentation print for the Chicago Society of Etchers and their blindstamp appears in the lower left corner of the sheet. The margins are full and the condition is fine. McCarron states, "Retroussage is used to obtain a softer but stronger and richer effect. In this technique the printer drags a cloth, preferably muslin, over the already inked lines of a heated plate in order to raise the ink, making it spread over both edges of the etched lines." This edition was printed by Charles White who was the only other printer Lewis liked. Lewis gave White specific directions: "wipe clean, very clean on window and light foreground - retroussage on background and darks, very little retrossage on pavement and window."
SOLD

Puffing Billies
Etching and sand ground, 1916, McCarron 20, edition 15. 13 x 9 3/4 in. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, atmospheric impression with full margins. The condition is fine. (There's a minor smudge on the right margin.) This dynamic, early work depicts New York harbor and the subject of tugboats turns up in other Lewis prints (see McCarron 2,21,28 & 38.) Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, NY (with their label).
SOLD

Quarter of Nine, Saturday's Children
Drypoint, 1929, McCarron 78, edition 107. 9 7/8 x 12 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil, lower right. Also inscribed by the artist,"watakashi no E." This is a superb impression printed on off white laid paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries (with their label). The scene is 34th Street at Park Avenue, New york.
SOLD

Rain on Murray Hill
Drypoint, 1928, McCarron 75, edition 110. 7 7/8 x 11 7/8 in. Signed in the plate. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a fine impression with full margins. The paper is a medium weight off white wove with an acorn leaf watermark. The condition is fine. This exemplary work depicts a scene just a few blocks from the artist's studio at 145 East 34th Street in New York. Impressions are cited in twelve museum collections.
SOLD

Shadow Magic
Drypoint, 1939, McCarron 126, edition 34. 13 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. Initialed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression with full margins. The printed surface is pristine. The condition is excellent. As McCarron mentions in the catalogue on page 216, "this is one of Lewis's most abstract designs." (This is also the only Martin Lewis print with a cat in it.) Provenance: Knoedler Galleries, NY.
SOLD

Snow on the El
Drypoint and sand ground, 1931, McCarron 95, edition 49 including 5 trial proofs. 14 x 9 in. Signed in the plate. Signed in pencil, lower right. This is a superb, atmospheric impression of this great American print from the 1930s. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. The location depicted here is 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue in New York City.
SOLD

Stoops in Snow
Drypoint and sand ground, 1930, McCarron 89 (ii/II); edition 115. 10 x 15 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a fine, atmospheric impression with full margins printed on a subtle, slightly bluish paper. The condition is fine apart from a subtle soft crease in the lower left corner margin. This, along with Snow on the El, are among the finest snow scenes created by the artist. This was a very popular print as the edition was virtually sold out during Lewis's lifetime.
SOLD

The Boyfriends
Drypoint and sand ground, 1927, McCarron 61, edition 30. 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. This endearing print is uncommon. McCarron mentions sand ground in his description of the technique used in this print. It can be described as follows: "In addition, some of the prints—including "Circus Night"—include an additional technique, called sand ground. In this technique the artist applies the wax coating for etching, then using sandpaper, emery board, or loose sand to make a series of pits in the wax. Upon biting, the plate achieves a soft, hazy effect that Lewis vastly preferred to the sharp, shiny copper of pure etching or engraving." (By Grant Hamming, Research Fellow at the Rollins College Museum of Art; as published in a Rollins College Museum of Art newsletter, 2020).
SOLD

The Passing Freight, Danbury
Drypoint and sand ground, 1934, McCarron 108, edition 47. 8 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The condition is excellent. A locomotive also appears his lithograph, Veterans, from 1935. Hopper and especially Marsh were also interested in the train as subject matter. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, NY.
SOLD

The Roustabout
Etching with sand ground, 1916, McCarron 14, edition only 6. 8 7/8 x 6 in. Signed in pencil. This is a fine impression of this rare, early work. The margins are full and the condition is fine. (There's a very faint suggestion of toning within an early mat opening.) The bridge in the distance is Manhattan Bridge. This is only one of two images by Lewis where an African American is the primary subject of the print. A roustabout is an itinerant laborer who often works the docks or oil fields.
SOLD

The Wayfarer
Etching and aquatint, circa 1947, McCarron 135, edition 2. 4 5/8 x 3 7/8 in. Initialed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil lower right. This is a fine impression of this exceedingly rare print. The paper is white wove and the margins are wide and probably untrimmed. The condition is fine apart from the subtle suggestion of toning within an early mat opening. The other known impression, which is illustrated in the catalogue by McCarron, is located in the Detroit Institute of Arts. This small, compelling portrait has a somber intensity which goes beyond much of the artist's typical portraiture. According to the catalogue (page 227), the white highlights were produced by applying lithographic crayon before placing the plate in the acid bath.
SOLD

Three Girls Conversing
Etching with drypoint, circa 1946, McCarron 134 (ii/II), edition 7. 6 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed "Martin Lewis, P.L." (Patricia Lewis) in the lower right. This is a fine impression printed on cream wove paper. The margins are full and the condition is excellent. This rare print bears the stamp, verso, of Lucile Deming Lewis (not in Lugt), see McCarron pages 37-38.
SOLD

Tree Manhattan
Drypoint, 1930, McCarron 87, edition 91 including 10 trial proofs. 12 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb, luminous impression with full margins. The condition is fine. (There's just a very faint suggestion of a mat line.) This exceptional print contains all the elements of a great Martin Lewis; dramatic lights and darks, solitary figures, well-integrated architectural design and there's that added element of urban mystery to engage our imagination.
$13,000

Twin Silos
Drypoint, 1936, McCarron 119, eddition of 23 including 6 trial proofs. 7 1/4 x 8 3/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. Here we have a fine impression in fine condition. The margins are wide. This print is a Connecticut scene done in Cornwall. This is a rare print.
SOLD

Under the Street Lamp
Etching, 1928, McCarron 70, edition 83. 14 7/8 x 9 3/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower right. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression printed on white laid paper with full margins. The condition is excellent. From the collection of Patricia Lewis with her stamp on the bottom edge of the sheet, verso.
SOLD

Wet Saturday
Drypoint, 1929, McCaron 81, edition 72. 9 7/8 x 10 1/2 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a superb impression with full margins. The paper is a fine cream laid and the condition is excellent.
SOLD

Which Way?
Aquatint, 1932, McCarron 99, edition 53 including 3 trial proofs. 10 3/8 x 15 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left and signed in pencil, lower right. This is a superb, luminous impression in excellent condition. The margins are full. This large work is a tour de force of the aquatint medium. The surface of this impression is pristine.
SOLD

Winter on White Street
Drypoint and sand ground, 1934, McCarron 110 (iii/III), edition 41 including 4 trial proofs. 10 7/8 x 6 7/8 in. Signed in the plate, lower left. Signed in pencil. This is a very fine, atmospheric impression with full margins. The condition is fine apart from a couple of tiny specks in the lower margin. This uncommon print was done in Danbury, CT. As McCarron aptly states, "The placement of two blank white rectangles near the center of the composition is a daring compositional device." (see pg. 197).
SOLD