The Woolworth Building
1915
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Addie Burr Clark
Accession Number
1946.9.210
Art Historical Context
Behold the soaring majesty of *The Woolworth* (1915), an etching Joseph Pennell, one of America's foremost printmakers of the early 20th. Captured just two years after its completion in 1913, this immortalizes New York City's Gothic Revival skyscraper—then the world's tallest at 792 feet—as a symbol of American ambition and architectural innovation. Designed by Cass Gilbert, the's intricate terra-cotta facade and luminous crown evoked medieval cathedrals amid the Jazz Age skyline, blending tradition with modern engineering. Pennell's masterful etching technique shines here: acid-etched lines ...
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 ...