Furman St. North 1929

Charles Wheeler Locke made this print, Furman St. North, using a pretty straightforward approach: tiny marks, built up into something moody and atmospheric. What's cool is how Locke uses the texture of the paper to his advantage. It's not about hiding the process; you can see every little line and dot. Look at the sky – it's like a swarm of tiny marks, almost vibrating with energy. Then, there’s the Brooklyn Bridge itself, rendered with such precision, yet it still feels like it’s emerging from a dream. The people down in the left-hand corner, they’re just hinted at with quick, sketchy lines, but you get a sense of them as part of the city's pulse. You could compare Locke to someone like Whistler, who also played with atmosphere and light in his prints. But Locke’s got a grittier, more American feel, capturing the urban landscape with a kind of raw honesty. It's an invitation to get lost in the details and find your own story within the scene.