Milltown 1937

Blanche Grambs made this etching, Milltown, in 1937, using a metal plate and acid, I imagine. The tonal range she gets in this print is so subtle, shifting from velvety blacks to hazy greys. I’m really drawn to the granular texture. It’s almost like she’s not just depicting a place, but also a feeling, the grit and gloom of an industrial town. Look how the light catches on those stark, vertical forms on the right. You can almost feel the weight of the shadows, the way they press down on the scene. And then there's that conical shape on the left. Is it a heap of coal? Whatever it is, the dark hatching that defines it makes it feel solid, heavy. You know, it reminds me a little of Piranesi's architectural prints, but with a much more intimate, human scale. It’s like she is saying something important about American life during this period.