Bouw van de pier bij Dover 1910

This is "Bouw van de pier bij Dover", a print made by Joseph Pennell using etching and drypoint. The image is full of cross-hatching, giving a sense of great activity. Look closely and you can see the textures of the water and the monumental architecture under construction. Pennell was clearly fascinated by engineering, and chose to represent the scene through the lens of his own labor: pushing a sharp tool across a copper plate. Like the scene it depicts, the print demanded time, care, and considerable force. The image presents a scene of labor-intensive construction, and it was created through labor-intensive means. This reminds us that all images are in some sense made; they are never simply reflections of reality. They are always the product of choices. Considering the material process behind the print, we understand it as more than a picture: it’s a trace of human action. It is evidence of how we shape the world around us.