Entrance to the Savoy Hotel 1907

Curator: I see movement, an almost frantic energy captured in this etching. It reminds me of rush hour in a bustling metropolis. Editor: You’ve honed in on exactly the sense that Joseph Pennell aimed for with his 1907 print, "Entrance to the Savoy Hotel." Look closer; it's fascinating to observe the intricate layering of lines achieved through the etching process on paper. You can almost feel the rough texture. Curator: The process is what’s so alluring here, don’t you think? How Pennell used acid to carve this bustling scene into a metal plate – likely copper. The physicality, the sheer labor...It’s removed from the polish of the final subject. Editor: Agreed. And yet, that deliberate mark-making contributes to the aura. Consider the Savoy itself. Its construction, its purpose: luxury accommodations facilitated by so many unseen hands. It speaks volumes about London's social fabric at the turn of the century. How public imagery romanticizes progress. Curator: The "Entrance" also acts as a literal stage, right? This entranceway becomes a space for this dance between high society clientele and the material reality supporting such opulence. How many other people, not shown in the immediate field of view, had a part in creating the actual printed image? Editor: Indeed. And what of Pennell himself, an American expatriate depicting the heart of British luxury? His choice of subject and medium is telling. He was no stranger to political illustration. This piece almost feels like a commentary, even with the visual style of Impressionism, with the quick gestural linework implying modern life. Curator: Exactly! These lines create the figures and landscape. The etching process itself became accessible due to industrial advancements—more copper available, different grades of paper became cheaper. Editor: This print serves as a wonderful window into a moment in time, reminding us how inextricably art is linked to the society that both produces and consumes it. Curator: And for the workers. Thinking about artistic production through this lens, how those socioeconomic and political components leave marks on the piece, quite literally, it's more than meets the eye at first. Editor: Precisely. Looking beyond the immediate elegance is essential here.