The Big Bug 1916

Editor: This is Joseph Pennell’s lithograph, "The Big Bug," from 1916. It depicts an airplane inside a hangar, and what immediately strikes me is how meticulously Pennell renders the mechanical details. What do you make of it? Curator: It's interesting to consider the title. "The Big Bug." Not exactly a romantic description, is it? This period witnessed a massive shift in attitudes toward machines, from objects of wonder to instruments of war. Given that it’s a lithograph, how does its accessibility influence your perception of its message during the First World War? Editor: Good point. Being a print, it would be more widely distributed than, say, an oil painting. So, was Pennell perhaps making a statement about the industrialization of warfare and the accessibility of such technology at that time? Curator: Precisely. Consider the hangar itself. Its construction reflects the industrial methods rapidly being adopted and standardized. Lithography itself, a process reliant on industrial methods for mass production, reinforces this theme. Can you sense the process of making such artwork and how it’s inextricably tied to the message? Editor: Definitely. The printmaking process becomes part of the artwork's statement. It is not just an image of a machine, but a machine-made image of a machine! Curator: Right. The availability of this imagery shaped public opinion and acceptance of aerial warfare. Pennell gives us not just a representation, but the material embodiment of the era’s complex relationship with technology. It is about accessibility and manufacturing of war! Editor: Thinking about the material processes adds so much to my understanding. Thank you for sharing your insight. I will think about all these materials in their historical and production context from now on!