Cannon Street Station, from the River 1905

Joseph Pennell made this etching, *Cannon Street Station, from the River,* using a sharp needle to draw into a metal plate. It’s like he’s thinking through the image, a web of lines describing a bustling scene, but with the bare minimum of marks. The whole image has a kind of shimmering quality. Look how the repeated verticals of the bridge supports create a rhythm, almost like musical notation. See the contrast between the solid, grounded architecture and the fluid reflections in the water, Pennell creates a sense of depth and movement. There’s a real tension between the precision of the architectural details and the looseness of the water and sky. It reminds me a little of Whistler's etchings of the Thames, but Pennell has a more documentary impulse, capturing the energy of modern life, like a snapshot. This work is full of understated beauty.