Looking up Broad Street from Spruce Street 1912

This print of Broad Street, looking up from Spruce Street, was created by Joseph Pennell, using lithographic crayon on paper. Pennell made many images of cityscapes. With a keen eye, he captured the dynamic energy of urban centers. Here, the lithographic crayon allows for a range of tonal variations, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The grainy texture adds a tactile quality to the image, inviting viewers to engage with the built environment. Lithography itself is a fascinating process. The artist draws on a stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, then treats the surface so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. The print captures the gritty reality of the modern metropolis. The rapid industrialization and urbanization of the late 19th and early 20th centuries shaped both the subject matter and the means of production for artists like Pennell. He invites us to consider the relationship between art, industry, and the changing urban landscape.