Sloan, John. TURNING OUT THE LIGHT. M. 134. Etching, 1905. 5 x 7 inches; 127 x 178 mm. (plate), 9 1/2 x 11 1/2 (sheet). Titled, inscribed "100 Proofs" and signed, all in pencil. While most of Sloan's prints never reached the "100 Proofs' limitation, some, including this exceeded it; 110 were printed. This is one of the plates from Sloan's "New York City Life" series. Morse quotes Sloan on his encounters with the critic Russell Sturgis about the NY City Life set and this print in particular. Sloan recounts showing the set to Sturgis, who commented that only this print had the "charm" he looked for in art. Sloan nevethess made a gift to him of the complete set, commenting in his diary that if Sturgis "doesn't value them now, he may in the future if he lives long enough." Sturgis however returned all the prints except "Tunring Out the Light," thereby breaking a complete set.
