Hampton Court, the Long Palace 1906

Joseph Pennell made this etching of Hampton Court in 1906, using a technique that revels in the process of its making. You see the lines, the scratches, the cross-hatching that build up the image. It's not about hiding the work, but about showing it off. The texture here is key; Pennell captures the roughness of the landscape, the grainy quality of the sky, all through these tiny etched lines. Look at the way he renders the trees, especially those at the right of the image. The lines are chaotic and free, almost like scribbles, but they come together to create a sense of volume and depth. And it’s all monochrome, a very limited palette. Yet somehow, he creates a sense of light and shadow. There’s something about the immediacy of this print, a kinship with Whistler’s etchings perhaps, that makes it feel alive. It’s as though Pennell is inviting us to witness his own act of seeing, thinking, and feeling in the world.