Battleship Coming Home
1917
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.6869
Art Historical Context
Joseph Pennell's *Battleship Coming Home (1917) is a striking lithograph capturing the monumental power of naval might during World War I. as the United States entered the that year, the print likely depicts a massive battleship returning to port, evoking the era's tension and triumph amid global warfare. Pennell, a leading American artist and master printmaker, was renowned for his dynamic of industrial and architectural subjects, from bridges to warships, reflecting the rapid modernization of the early 20th century. Rendered in the bold, expressive medium of lithography—a planographic proce...
About the Artist
Joseph Pennell · 1857–1926
Joseph Pennell (1857–1926) was born in Philadelphia to Quaker parents and displayed an early aptitude for drawing, finding solace in sketching amid a challenging childhood. He received initial drawing instruction from James R. Lambdin and his first etching lessons from Stephen Ferris in 1879. Pennell attended night classes at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art before studying at ...