The Press
1934
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
wood engraving
Dimensions
image: 21.1 × 21.1 cm (8 5/16 × 8 5/16 in.) sheet: 36.2 × 26.8 cm (14 1/4 × 10 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Florian Carr Fund and Gift of the Print Research Foundation
Accession Number
2008.115.184
Art Historical Context
Paul Landacre's *The Press* (1934) is a masterful wood engraving captures the artist's profound skill in one of printmaking's most demanding techniques. Landacre, a leading American wood engraver of the early 20th century, during the Great Depression, a time when fine prints offered both artistic expression and affordable art for a struggling public. This square image, measuring 21.1 × 21.1 cm on a larger sheet, exemplifies his precision: wood engraving involves incising fine lines into the hard end-grain of wood blocks, producing crisp, intricate details akin to metal engraving but suited for...