Framed Princeton University Nassau Hall Limited Edition Etching by Louis Orr - 1935

A framed etching of the Princeton University Nassau Hall done by Louis Orr. The frame measures 19 1/2 by 15 inches. In very good condition, some light wear to the outside of the frame. Matted with two mats in a sturdy medal frame. 

In the 1930s, during one of his visits in the United States, Orr accepted a commission from the Princeton University Press to etch seven campus views. When the etchings were offered for sale an advertisement in Princeton Alumni Weekly in 1935 called Orr "one of the world's foremost sketchers." The advertisement also noted, "In view of the reputation of the artist these beautiful etchings are collectors’ items and should later sell at a premium. It is expected that the edition will be quickly exhausted.”

Born in Connecticut, Orr moved to Paris while in his twenties to study at the Académie Julian, a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian that was active from 1868 through 1968. Orr’s etchings were the first by an American artist purchased for the permanent collection in the Louvre’s chalcography department.

Orr was a skilled craftsman as evidenced by the fine detail of the etching. He had a knack for using shadow and light, and for creating depth. The etchings were limited edition to only 332 copies. The etching is signed in pencil of Louis Orr.

A set of the etchings are in the special collections department of the Firestone Library at Princeton. Orr's works are also in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of the Fine Arts, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the British Museum, and more.

Rare.