NEW YORK.- This summer, The UBS Art Gallery presents a rare collection of late-nineteenth-century etchings from the golden age of American printmaking. First Impressions: American Etchings from The Parrish Art Museum, on view until August 11, 2006 at The UBS Art Gallery (1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York City), will feature prints dating from 1874 to 1900 of pristine Long Island landscapes, coastal scenes and other locales by leading figures of the American Painter-Etcher movement.

The mid-nineteenth-century etching revival began in France and England, where artists were inspired by the prints of Rembrandt and other Dutch masters, and the trend made its way to the United States in the 1870s. Collected by an art-savvy public who believed education and sensitivity were needed to appreciate the subtleties of the graphic arts, prints were also considered a more affordable alternative to paintings. First Impressions will feature 80 prints by more than 40 artists, including works by William Merritt Chase, Thomas Moran, Mary Nimmo Moran, Henry Farrer and R. Swain Gifford, all of whom were members of the New York Etching Club. Many of the works on view originated in the lower Manhattan print shop of Henry E.F. Voigt and are bon à tirer, or the master impression that serves as the standard of quality for artist and printer.