The turn of the twentieth century was a period of immense change, a time when industrial might and burgeoning metropolises reshaped landscapes and societies. Capturing this dynamic era required artists with a keen eye, a swift hand, and a profound understanding of their medium. Joseph Pennell (1857–1926) was preeminently such an artist. An American etcher, lithographer, illustrator, and writer, Pennell rose to international fame for his evocative depictions of urban and industrial scenes, his masterful command of printmaking techniques, and his passionate advocacy for the graphic arts. While another British artist, Harry Pennell (1879-1934), is noted for paintings such as "Cattle in a river," the extensive body of work in etching and illustration that captured the spirit of the modern age, and which aligns with many of the detailed artistic discussions of the period, belongs to Joseph Pennell. His career spanned continents and decades, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inform our understanding of both the art of printmaking and the visual culture of his time.
Early Life and Artistic Awakening in Philadelphia
Joseph Pennell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a city then undergoing its own industrial and cultural expansion. His Quaker upbringing instilled in him a sense of discipline and a directness that would later characterize his artistic style. From an early age, Pennell demonstrated a talent for drawing, and his initial ambition was to become an illustrator. He enrolled at the Pennsylvania School of Industrial Art and later at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he briefly studied under the influential American realist painter Thomas Eakins.
However, Pennell's independent spirit and impatience with formal academic training led him to pursue a more self-directed path. He found the meticulous and often laborious process of oil painting less suited to his temperament than the immediacy and linear precision of drawing and etching. It was in the medium of etching that Pennell would find his true calling. He was largely self-taught in this demanding art form, studying the works of past masters like Rembrandt van Rijn and Charles Meryon, whose atmospheric etchings of Paris had a profound impact on him. Pennell was also inspired by the contemporary Etching Revival, a movement that sought to elevate printmaking from a purely reproductive craft to an original expressive art form, championed by figures like James McNeill Whistler and Sir Francis Seymour Haden in Britain.
Pennell's early work in Philadelphia focused on the city's historic architecture and burgeoning industrial waterfront. He developed a distinctive style characterized by fine, energetic lines, a keen sense of light and shadow, and an ability to capture the essence of a scene with remarkable economy. His illustrations began appearing in prominent magazines such as Century Magazine and Harper's Weekly, providing him with both income and a growing reputation. These early successes fueled his ambition to travel and experience the wider world, a desire that would soon lead him to Europe, the traditional center of the art world.
London, Whistler, and the European Scene
In 1884, Joseph Pennell made a pivotal decision to move to London, which was then a global hub for art and publishing. This move marked the beginning of a new and highly productive phase in his career. London, with its rich history, vibrant artistic community, and endless visual stimuli, provided fertile ground for Pennell's talents. He quickly established himself as a leading illustrator and etcher, his work sought after by publishers and collectors alike.
One of the most significant relationships Pennell formed in London was with the expatriate American artist James McNeill Whistler. Whistler, a towering figure in the late nineteenth-century art world, was a master etcher and a charismatic, if controversial, personality. Pennell deeply admired Whistler's aesthetic philosophy, his emphasis on artistic suggestion over literal representation, and his sophisticated use of tone and composition. The two artists became close friends and collaborators, with Pennell later co-authoring, with his wife Elizabeth Robins Pennell, a major biography of Whistler. Whistler's influence is evident in Pennell's work from this period, particularly in his atmospheric depictions of London's fog-laden streets and the subtle tonal harmonies of his prints. However, Pennell was no mere imitator; he absorbed Whistler's lessons while retaining his own distinct artistic voice, often more robust and direct than Whistler's delicate nocturnes.
During his years in Europe, Pennell traveled extensively, documenting the cities, landscapes, and architectural wonders of the continent. He produced series of etchings and drawings of cathedrals in France, canals in Venice, and ancient ruins in Italy. His wife, Elizabeth Robins Pennell, was a talented writer, and together they collaborated on numerous illustrated travel books, such as A Canterbury Pilgrimage (1885), Two Pilgrims' Progress (1886), and Our Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (1888). These books, combining Elizabeth's engaging prose with Joseph's evocative illustrations, were highly popular and further enhanced their international reputation. His work was exhibited alongside prominent European artists, and he became an active participant in the international printmaking scene, associating with figures like Alphonse Legros, a French-born etcher who taught at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.
The "Wonder of Work": Documenting the Industrial Age
Perhaps Joseph Pennell's most enduring contribution to art history is his powerful series of prints and drawings celebrating the "Wonder of Work." Fascinated by the dynamism and scale of modern industry, Pennell turned his attention to subjects that many of his contemporaries considered unaesthetic: factories, shipyards, mines, and construction sites. He saw in these industrial landscapes a new kind of beauty, a modern sublime that reflected the energy and ambition of the age. His approach was not one of social critique, like some of his contemporaries such as Käthe Kollwitz in Germany, but rather an awe-struck documentation of human ingenuity and labor.
Pennell traveled across America and Europe seeking out these cathedrals of industry. He depicted the steel mills of Pittsburgh, the coal mines of Pennsylvania and Belgium, the shipyards of England, and the soaring skyscrapers of New York City. His etchings and lithographs of these subjects are characterized by dramatic compositions, bold contrasts of light and shadow, and a sense of monumental scale. He was particularly adept at capturing the smoke, steam, and fire that were the hallmarks of industrial activity, imbuing his scenes with a sense of dynamism and raw power. Works like "The Gates of Venice" (showing a modern industrial approach to the city) or his views of the Charleroi steel district in Belgium exemplify this fascination.
His depictions of New York's rapidly changing skyline are among his most iconic images. Pennell was one of the first artists to fully embrace the skyscraper as a subject, recognizing its symbolic importance as a testament to American ambition and technological prowess. He rendered these towering structures with a sense of awe and excitement, emphasizing their verticality and their dramatic impact on the urban environment. These works can be seen in dialogue with the urban photography of contemporaries like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen, who were also exploring the visual language of the modern city. Pennell's ability to find artistic merit in the seemingly utilitarian structures of the industrial age was groundbreaking and influenced a generation of artists who followed.
Master of Technique: Etching, Lithography, and Drawing
Joseph Pennell was a consummate craftsman, a master of multiple graphic techniques. While he is perhaps best known for his etchings, he was also a highly skilled lithographer and a prolific draftsman. His technical virtuosity allowed him to adapt his style to a wide range of subjects and expressive needs. He was a firm believer in the importance of direct observation and often worked on site, sketching rapidly to capture the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. This directness is a hallmark of his style, giving his work a sense of immediacy and authenticity.
In etching, Pennell experimented with various techniques, from delicate drypoint lines to rich, velvety blacks achieved through carefully controlled biting of the copper plate. He was a master of line, using it not only to define form but also to convey texture, movement, and mood. His prints often exhibit a remarkable range of tonal values, achieved through intricate cross-hatching and the subtle wiping of ink from the plate. He admired the technical brilliance of past masters like Rembrandt and Piranesi, whose dramatic architectural views clearly resonated with Pennell's own interests. He also learned from contemporaries, including Whistler, whose innovative approaches to inking and printing plates expanded the expressive possibilities of the medium.
Pennell also embraced lithography, a planographic printing process that allowed for a more painterly approach. He produced numerous lithographs, particularly during World War I, when he created a series of powerful images documenting America's war effort. His lithographs often have a softer, more atmospheric quality than his etchings, with rich blacks and subtle gradations of tone. Beyond printmaking, Pennell was an exceptional draftsman. His drawings, whether quick sketches in a notebook or more finished works for illustration, reveal his keen observational skills and his ability to capture the essence of a subject with a few well-chosen lines. Artists like Muirhead Bone, a contemporary British etcher and draftsman also known for his industrial and war scenes, shared a similar dedication to capturing the contemporary world through graphic means.
Illustrator, Author, and Educator
Beyond his achievements as a printmaker, Joseph Pennell was a highly successful illustrator, a prolific author, and an influential educator. His illustrations appeared in some of the leading periodicals of his day, including The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Harper's Magazine, and Scribner's Magazine. He illustrated numerous books, both his own and those by other authors, covering a wide range of subjects from travel and topography to literature and social commentary. His ability to create images that not only complemented the text but also added their own layer of meaning made him a sought-after collaborator. His illustrations for Washington Irving's "Alhambra" or Henry James's "Italian Hours" are notable examples of his sensitive response to literary texts.
Pennell was also a vocal and often controversial writer on art. He authored several books on printmaking techniques, including Etchers and Etching (1919) and The Graphic Arts: Modern Men and Modern Methods (1921), which became standard texts for students and collectors. In these writings, he championed the cause of original printmaking, arguing for its status as a fine art and offering practical advice on materials and methods. He also wrote art criticism and penned his autobiography, The Adventures of an Illustrator (1925), which provides a lively, if sometimes opinionated, account of his life and times. His critical writings could be sharp, and he was known for his strong views on art and artists, sometimes clashing with figures in the art establishment.
In his later years, Pennell dedicated himself to teaching. He taught etching and lithography at the Art Students League of New York and at the school of the National Academy of Design. He was a passionate and inspiring teacher, eager to share his knowledge and experience with a new generation of artists. He encouraged his students to develop their own individual styles and to find inspiration in the world around them. His students included artists who would go on to make their own significant contributions to American printmaking, such as John Taylor Arms. Pennell's commitment to education helped to ensure the continuation of the printmaking tradition in America.
World War I and Later Years
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 profoundly affected Joseph Pennell. Although he was an American, he had spent many years in Europe and felt a deep connection to the continent. He was horrified by the destruction and human suffering caused by the war. Initially, he documented the war preparations in Britain and France, creating a series of powerful images of munitions factories, shipyards, and military training camps. These works, often executed in lithography, conveyed the immense scale and industrial might of the war effort, continuing his "Wonder of Work" theme but now in a more somber context. His approach was similar to that of other official war artists, such as the British painter Frank Brangwyn, who also depicted scenes of labor and industry on the home front.
When the United States entered the war in 1917, Pennell threw himself into supporting the Allied cause. He created a series of striking posters for the U.S. government, designed to encourage enlistment, promote war bonds, and galvanize public support. These posters, with their dramatic imagery and patriotic fervor, were widely distributed and became iconic symbols of America's wartime mobilization. His poster "That Liberty Shall Not Perish from the Earth" is a particularly memorable example, depicting a ravaged Statue of Liberty against a backdrop of a burning New York City, urging citizens to buy Liberty Bonds.
After the war, Pennell returned to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, New York. He continued to work actively, producing etchings and lithographs of the city's ever-changing skyline and bustling harbor. He also devoted considerable time to teaching and writing. His later work often carried a nostalgic tone, as he reflected on the rapid transformations he had witnessed throughout his career. He remained a staunch advocate for traditional craftsmanship and artistic values in an era increasingly dominated by modernist experimentation, sometimes finding himself at odds with emerging artists like those of the Ashcan School, such as John Sloan or George Bellows, who focused more on the gritty social realities of urban life, though their subject matter sometimes overlapped.
Legacy and Collections
Joseph Pennell died in Brooklyn in 1926, leaving behind an immense body of work and a significant artistic legacy. He created over 900 etchings and drypoints, more than 600 lithographs, and countless drawings and watercolors. His work is characterized by its technical brilliance, its keen observation of the contemporary world, and its passionate engagement with the themes of industry, urbanism, and human labor. He played a crucial role in the Etching Revival, helping to elevate printmaking to the status of a major art form and inspiring a new generation of printmakers.
Pennell was a recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including gold medals at international expositions in Paris, Dresden, and Amsterdam. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Design in New York and the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers in London. His influence extended beyond his own artistic production; through his teaching and writing, he helped to shape the discourse on graphic arts in the early twentieth century. Artists like Childe Hassam, another American impressionist who also produced a significant body of etchings of urban scenes, operated in a similar artistic milieu, though with a different stylistic emphasis.
Today, Joseph Pennell's works are held in major museum collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. (which holds a vast collection of his prints and papers), the British Museum in London, and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. His prints continue to be admired by collectors and art enthusiasts for their technical mastery and their evocative portrayal of a bygone era. His depictions of the "Wonder of Work" remain powerful testaments to the industrial age, while his cityscapes capture the dynamism and grandeur of the modern metropolis. Joseph Pennell stands as a pivotal figure in American art, a bridge between the traditions of the nineteenth century and the emerging modernism of the twentieth, and a chronicler whose keen eye and skilled hand preserved the spirit of his transformative times for posterity. His dedication to the graphic arts ensured that mediums like etching and lithography continued to thrive as vital forms of artistic expression, influencing subsequent artists who explored the urban and industrial landscape, such as Martin Lewis and Reginald Marsh.
