Making Pig-Iron
1916
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7303
Art Historical Context
Joseph Pennell's *Making Pig-Iron*1916) is a striking lithograph that captures the raw intensity of early 20th American industry. As a master printmaker, Pennell was renowned for dynamic depictions of modern machinery and labor, often infusing them with a sense of awe at technological progress. This work, part of the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection showcases molten iron being cast into ingots—known as pig-iron—in a blast furnace, highlighting the grueling yet transformative process central to steel production. Created amid World War I's industrial boom, the lithograph reflects ...
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 ...