East River Sunset - Building the Empire State Tower 

Editor: Here we have Edward Shepard Hewitt's etching, "East River Sunset - Building the Empire State Tower." I'm struck by how this hazy, almost dreamlike rendering captures such a pivotal moment of construction and change in New York City. What catches your eye, looking at it? Curator: It’s precisely that tension you mentioned, the dreamlike quality versus the stark reality of progress, that grabs me. The etching technique lends itself so well to conveying a sense of industrialization softened by the romanticism of a sunset. We have to consider the time this was made, a period of incredible social and economic shifts. How might this image be seen as a commentary on urban development and its effects on the working class? Editor: So, beyond just a pretty cityscape, we're looking at something that might have had a strong social message at the time? The title says Empire State Tower is in construction... could we talk about that? Curator: Absolutely. The Empire State Building wasn't just a building; it was a symbol of capitalist ambition, a marker of the changing skyline and the lives affected by it. Notice how the artist contrasts the burgeoning tower with the soft, almost melancholic sky. This contrast asks us to consider who benefits from this 'progress', and at what cost. What voices might be missing from this seemingly celebratory depiction? Editor: It's interesting you point that out, as the composition emphasizes a certain romantic beauty in what some people would criticize today. Thank you for this fascinating discussion on Hewitt’s etching! I am now appreciating a wider range of socio-historical contexts that the artwork raises. Curator: And thank you. I'm struck by how it serves as a lens through which we can examine the ongoing negotiation between progress and its impact on communities and individuals.