Plate - Waterworks, Philadelphia c. 1936

This plate, showing the Waterworks in Philadelphia, was made by Helmut Hiatt, though the exact date is unknown. It’s not paint, but it is image making, where an image is transferred to a surface - in this case a plate - not unlike the process of making a print. The monochrome palette of the plate offers a study in contrasts. The scene itself features a rotunda building, trees, a horse and cart, and, unusually, the outer rim is decorated with acorns and leaves, a choice that is perhaps intended to emphasise the natural resources of the Waterworks. The central composition is framed by a decorative border, offering a contrast between the representational and the abstract, or at least decorative elements of the plate. This reminds me of Warhol's screenprints from the 1960s where he appropriates images from advertising and popular culture and repeats them in series, though this plate has a very different feel and intention. What do you think?