700 Rush Street 

Howard Raftery made this print, titled "700 Rush Street," using lithography, a process that involves drawing on a stone or metal plate and then using ink to create a mirrored image on paper. The grainy texture and stark contrasts of black and white capture the mass and weight of the building, a large house dwarfing the trees that surround it. The lithographic technique allows for deep blacks and subtle shading, giving the image a dramatic, almost ghostly quality. The work shows the importance of the built environment, a place inhabited by the upper class. Raftery's print reflects a fascination with urban landscapes and architecture, transforming ordinary scenes into powerful visual statements. By focusing on the material and the process, we can see how the artist brought together technical skill and artistic vision to make a statement on the status of the inhabitants of the house.