Second Street Market, Philadelphia 1920

Joseph Pennell made this print of Philadelphia’s Second Street Market with etching, a graphic process using acid to cut lines into a metal plate. The tonal palette here is limited to blacks, whites, and grays, but the energy of the marks is palpable. I can imagine Pennell carefully layering lines to describe the market, but then he seems to have gotten impatient, opting for scribble, which might suggest the frenetic energy of shoppers as they move through space. Take a look at the lamppost, rising above the scene. See how it anchors the image, suggesting a verticality that pushes our eye to the left and right sides of the composition. The lamppost is described by the loosest of marks, but the forms emerge through the accumulation of the marks. This print reminds me of some of James McNeill Whistler’s etchings and lithographs. They both have a modern sensibility that leans into abstraction. Artists are always inspiring each other, remixing ideas through the ages!