The Woolworth--Through the Arch
Artist
Joseph Pennell
(American, 1860 - 1926)
Date1921
MediumEtching on paper
DimensionsOverall: 9 15/16 × 6 15/16 inches (25.22 × 17.6 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Frances M. Logan
Object number53-51/84
On View
Not on viewCollections
Gallery LabelWoolworth Tower, known as the Cathedral of Commerce, was the tallest building in New York City in 1921. Pennell framed the impressive edifice with the arch of the Municipal Building that straddles Chambers Street. To achieve a range of tones in the print, Pennell applied a method practiced by his mentor James Abbott McNeill Whistler. He carefully moved acid over the plate with a feather to control the depth of the acid-etched lines on the surface. Shallow lines hold less ink than deeper ones, thus creating more delicate lines when the plate is printed. This effect may be seen in the lines that define The Woolworth Tower--Through the Arch and make it seem to shimmer, or even threaten to dissolve before our eyes.
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