The Ferry House 1919

Curator: Let's spend some time contemplating Joseph Pennell's 1919 print, "The Ferry House," a city scene rendered in ink. Immediately, it conjures up the ghost of industry, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely, the moment I look at this print, I'm consumed by thoughts of labour—of steel and sweat. The drawing emphasises not only the buildings themselves, but the infrastructure supporting their function. Curator: Pennell has captured a sense of suspended time, as if the city is a stage set frozen between acts. The composition draws you in to the city as it might have been viewed when New York became an emergent center of modernity. The whole scene breathes with a kind of latent potential. What do you think contributes to this specific ambiance? Editor: For me it’s about the visible materiality. Look at the crosshatching. Pennell exposes the labor of image-making by leaving his mark so visibly present, which reinforces how constructed these scenes truly are—everything from the industrial city on the horizon to the very image itself comes as a result of physical labor. It's a great demonstration of production—the city, and the representation of the city. Curator: I agree. I see the architecture and labour, yet what fascinates me are the atmospheric layers, especially those rendered in strokes that almost dissolve, and how they invite contemplation. It's a space between documentation and imagination; how do you experience this? Editor: It's easy to idealize past periods as somehow simpler or more "authentic", but Pennell makes it clear the so-called good old days involved vast amounts of industrial production. But what is depicted isn't static. What is seen in "The Ferry House" exists in constant negotiation between representation, labour and urbanization. And seeing it framed as ink on paper offers some unique access points into seeing these components separately, even when they are ultimately always united. Curator: This piece encapsulates a certain poignancy. Pennell transforms urban structures into something contemplative and ethereal. Thank you for guiding our attention toward production! Editor: It reminds me of how images have very real impact—of material as medium! Thank you for speaking with me today!