Blasons

1924 · réf. 2320 — 1924. Excellent. Etching on laid paper 13 1/2 x 7 1/2 343 x 191; sheet 16 1/2 x 11 inches 420 x 280 mm full margins. Signed and dated by Arms in the lower right corner. From the edition of 150 impressions printed in 1924 by Frederick Reynolds. Another edition of 50 impressions was subsequently printed by David Strang in 1938. According to Fletcher Arms mentioned a second state of the collaborative print but there appears to be no evidence of this in any known collection. Fletcher 144. Born in 1887 in Washington DC John Taylor Arms studied at Princeton University and ultimately earned a degree in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1912. With the outbreak of W.W.I Arms served as an officer in the United States Navy and it was during this time that he turned his focus to printmaking having published his first etching in 1919. His first subjects were the Brooklyn Bridge near the Navy Yard and it was during his wartime travel that Arms created a series of extraordinarily detailed etchings based on gothic cathedrals and churches he visited in France and Italy the plate for Guardians of the Spire was created in 1921. He used what was available to him namely sewing needles and a magnifying glass to create the incredibly rich and fine detail that his etchings are known for. Upon his return to New York after the war Arms enjoyed a successful career as a graphic artist created a series of etchings of American cities and published Handbook of Print Making and Print Makers Macmillan 1934. He served as President of the Society of American Graphic Artists and in 1933 was made a full member of the National Academy of Design. Arms died in Fairfield Connecticut in 1953. unknown