Empire Builders 1935

Curator: Here we have James Boswell’s “Empire Builders.” The image, held in the Tate Collections, presents a rather cynical view, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely. There’s a seedy atmosphere that comes through in the cross-hatching and limited colour palette, it suggests something rotten, perhaps. How was this image made? Curator: Boswell employed lithography, achieving those sharp, critical lines. Note how the composition places the building plans behind and slightly above the central figures. Editor: Those figures, rendered with such grotesque detail, are clearly the focus. They seem to loom over the architecture, emphasizing a link between labor and capital, and it strikes me as a commentary on the relationship between the two. Curator: Precisely. The caricature is emphasized through bold lines, and the figures have such strong facial expressions that contribute to the message of construction and the social order of that action. Editor: Thinking about the physical process, I wonder if Boswell chose lithography to mirror the mass production that these “empire builders” would have engaged in. Curator: Fascinating. The material itself becomes a comment on the subject matter. Editor: Indeed. It makes me consider the broader implications of such construction and its impact on the laboring classes. Curator: A powerful piece, charged with layers of meaning both visually and materially.