Night (Eads Bridge, St. Louis, Missouri) 

Ella Fillmore Lillie created this etching, titled 'Night (Eads Bridge, St. Louis, Missouri),' sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. It shows the Eads Bridge, a combined road and railway bridge, at night. Lillie was working at a time when printmaking was becoming increasingly popular in the United States, and artists like her were interested in capturing the beauty and drama of modern urban life, especially its architectural feats. The Eads Bridge, completed in 1874, was seen as a symbol of American industrial progress, but also of the city of St. Louis. Lillie’s print is interesting for the way it uses light and shadow to create a sense of mystery and romance around what was, at the time, celebrated for its ultra-modernity. To understand this artwork better, it would be useful to research Lillie’s involvement in printmaking societies, or to learn more about the cultural meaning of the Eads Bridge in St. Louis.