The Dark Tower
1919
Medium
etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 337 x 457 mm
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Accession Number
2008.115.5164.1
Art Historical Context
**The Dark Tower** (1919) is a striking etching by American artist Earl Horter, measuring 337 x 457 mm on its sheet. Created in the turbulent post-World War I era, this print captures the modernist fervor of the time, when artists explored abstraction and new forms amid rapid social change. Horter, a Philadelphia innovator, bridged traditional techniques with forward-thinking experimentation, making works like this a bridge to emerging American modernism. As an etching—a meticulous intaglio process where acid bites intricate lines into a metal plate—*The Dark Tower* showcases Horter's technic...