Joseph Pennell
The Levee, From Eads Bridge, St. Louis.
1919

Name: The Levee, From Eads Bridge, St. Louis.
Brand: Joseph Pennell
Price: 1800 USD
Availability: InStock

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About

The Levee. St. Louis. 1919. Lithograph. Wuerth 592. 19 5/8 x 17 1/8 (sheet approximately 24 1/2 x 18 3/8). Edition 20. Series: St. Louis set. A fine impression on laid paper with full margins. Mounted, with some buckling in the lower right-hand margin, outside the image. Kamp Gallery, (St. Louis Missouri) blind stamp lower right-hand margin. Signed in the stone and in pencil. Housed in a stunning 31 3/4 x 21 1/8 x 1 3/8-inch wood frame with a gold fillet. A dramatic presentation of this exceptionally scarce lithograph. Pennell did 6 large lithographs of St. Louis. Eads Bridge is the world's first steel-truss bridge, and an engineering marvel. After the Civil War and the expansion of the nation's railroad system, it became apparent that for St. Louis to survive, a bridge across the Mississippi River was essential. In 1867, the St. Louis Bridge and Iron Company, made up of a group of City bankers and businessmen, hired James Buchanan Eads (1820-1887) to build one. Eads was a self-educated engineer and had never built a bridge before. But during the Civil war, he had been called on by Washington to construct several Ironclad gun ships and completed his contract in an incredible 65 days. The construction of the bridge began in 1867. Giant granite-faced piers support three graceful arches and two decks. Eads Bridge was the first bridge to carry railroad tracks, the first to use tubular cord members and the first to depend entirely on cantilever construction for its superstructure. Pneumatic caissons were used for the first time in the U.S. in the construction of its piers, which were sunk to an unprecedented depth of 123 feet. The bridge was completed for a cost of nearly $10 million and dedicated on July 4, 1874. In recognition of this unparalleled engineering achievement, Eads Bridge was named a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation given by the National Park Service, in 1964. It was made a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1971 and designated a City Landmark the same year. Joseph Pennell, (born July 4, 1857, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. -- died April 23, 1926, Brooklyn, New York City), American etcher, lithographer, and writer who was one of the major etchers, teachers and book illustrators of his time. After attending the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, Pennell found work etching historic landmarks and illustrating travel articles and books for American publishers. In 1884 he went to Europe and settled in London. He produced numerous books, both as an author and as an illustrator, many of them in collaboration with his wife, author Elizabeth Robins Pennell. In London his friends included many of the most notable creative figures of the day, including the writers George Bernard Shaw and Robert Louis Stevenson and the painters John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler. During his lifetime Pennell produced more than 900 etchings and mezzotints and more than 600 lithographs on architectural and landscape subjects ranging from the Panama Canal and Yosemite National Park to the factories of England and the temples of Greece. Pennell distinguished himself not only as one of America's most talented etchers but also as a promotional genius who helped to spur the revival of printmaking and print collecting during the first two decades of the 20th century. His publications include several books on drawing and printmaking, as well as a famous biography of Whistler that he wrote with his wife in 1908. Pennell moved back to the United States during World War I. He continued to make prints, and taught printmaking at the famous Art Students League.

Details

Creator
Joseph Pennell (1857 - 1926, American)
Creation Year
1919
Dimensions
Height: 31.75 in. (80.65 cm)Width: 21.13 in. (53.68 cm)Depth: 1.38 in. (3.51 cm)
Medium
Lithograph
Movement & Style
American Modern
Period
1910-1919
Condition
Gallery Location
Storrs, CT
Reference Number
1stDibs: LU33527738662
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