West Front, Westminster Abbey 1903

Editor: This is Joseph Pennell's "West Front, Westminster Abbey" from 1903, created as an etching. The somberness of the scene is really striking; it's so intricate, but also a bit bleak. What stands out to you about it? Curator: What interests me most is the process by which this image was created and what it communicates about labour. Pennell has employed etching, a process deeply embedded in a history of craft and reproducibility. What statement does he make using commercial artistic practices? Editor: Hmm, so are you saying that his choice of etching affects our interpretation? Curator: Absolutely! Consider the physical labor involved in creating the plate, the biting with acid, the repetitive printing. It contrasts sharply with the grandeur of Westminster Abbey itself, a symbol of power and historical wealth generated through the use of labour. What does it mean to create this grand image with a democratic process that allows easy reproducibility? Editor: It almost seems like Pennell is leveling the playing field – making the Abbey accessible through this… common method of production? Curator: Precisely. How does this accessibility shape the consumption of the image? The masses can experience and, perhaps, critique the institutions represented. Further, let's consider the social context of early 20th century Britain – anxieties about empire, industrialisation. Do you think these themes impact this visual reading? Editor: That makes total sense, now that I see it that way. I didn’t really consider etching as more than just a technique, but I can now understand that this artistic choice makes a social and political statement. Curator: Exactly. Art isn't just about what's depicted, but how and why it’s made. Looking closely at artistic method, reveals broader material forces.