New York City

Joseph Pennell (1857-1926)
[110th Street, New York]
Watercolor and gouache drawing, ca. 1908
Prints & Photographs Division
Bequest of Joseph Pennell, ca. 1937 (54.16c)
Digital ID# ppmsca-12379
Digital ID# ppmsca-12380

Joseph Pennell (1857-1926)
[Flatiron Building]
Watercolor and gouache drawing, ca. 1908
Prints & Photographs Division
Bequest of Joseph Pennell, ca. 1937 (54.16d)
Digital ID# ppmsca-12379
Digital ID# ppmsca-12380

Joseph Pennell launched his career as an illustrator by selling picturesque drawings of south Philadelphia to Scribner's Monthly in 1881. He was a prolific artist and writer who experimented with new graphic techniques and sought to draw critical attention to book illustration. After living in London for a number of years, Pennell returned to the United States in 1917. Pennell taught for several years at the Art Students' League in New York City. It was there that he created a visual portrait of New York, which he called the "unbelievable city". Though a traditionalist, Pennell was among the earliest artists to treat skyscrapers as a compelling art subject.