The Armour Plate Press 1917

Joseph Pennell made this print, The Armour Plate Press, using lithographic crayon and ink. The artist’s hand seems to move freely across the page, capturing the industrial scene with an energy that feels both precise and chaotic. Look at how Pennell uses the lithographic crayon to build up the image, creating depth and shadow through layers of marks. The texture feels almost gritty, mirroring the industrial environment itself. Pennell really gets into the nitty-gritty of the factory, the play of light and shadow creating a sense of drama. I'm drawn to the way the strokes accumulate around the edges of the machinery, as if the forms are emerging from a cloud of graphite dust. I see echoes of Whistler in this work, particularly in the atmospheric quality and the focus on capturing a specific mood or impression. Like Whistler, Pennell invites us to see the beauty in the everyday, finding poetry in the heart of the industrial age.