Cincinnati (American Series)

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Cincinnati (American Series)

Artist Joseph Pennell (American, 1860-1926)

Datelate 19th-early 20th Century

Dimensions21 13/16 × 16 7/8 in. (554 × 428mm)

Mediumcharcoal on paper

ClassificationDrawings

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1916.2

Not on View

Label TextJoseph Pennell was an American etcher, lithographer, illustrator, and author. Over his lifetime he produced more than 1,800 prints whose subjects range from the Panama Canal and Yosemite National Park to factories, Greek temples, and the war efforts in Britain, France, and the United States during World War I. He printed many of his own lithographs and etchings and was always experimenting with techniques and materials. His writings and promotional abilities helped spur the revival of printmaking and print collecting in America during the first part of the 20th century. Pennell described his fascination with the subject of this drawing: “There are hundreds of these inclines—ascenseurs, finiculari, in the world—all fascinating from above or below—but I know of none so fascinating as this even among the numbers at Cincinnati—none in which the pitch is steeper, the stop so sudden—none where the streets lead direct to the heart of the city; no city so dominated, concentrated, at its heart, by which its lone white skyscraper, as Cincinnati.”Exhibition HistoryBuildings Real and Ideal: Nov. 15, 2007 - Jan 27, 2008.

Toledo Museum of Art, Looks Good on Paper: Masterworks and Favorites, Oct. 10, 2014-Jan. 11, 2015.

TMA, The City, November 6, 2015-February 14, 2016.