Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Anne Goldthwaite. It dates from 1920 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Anne Goldthwaite created this etching around 1920, capturing a moment in early 20th-century New York. The work is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection and exemplifies her interest in urban life during a period of rapid transformation. As a printmaker, she employed traditional intaglio methods to translate observed scenes into delicate, tonal compositions.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a quiet, rain-soaked city street on a Saturday, with pedestrians holding umbrellas and a horse-drawn wagon moving through the damp atmosphere.
The scene depicts a quiet, rain-soaked city street on a Saturday, with pedestrians holding umbrellas and a horse-drawn wagon moving through the damp atmosphere. Tall buildings recede into a soft mist, suggesting the tension between old and new urban forms. The absence of sharp detail and the subdued activity evoke a contemplative mood, reflecting the quiet rhythms of daily life amid modernization.
Technique & Style
Goldthwaite used etching with aquatint to achieve the work’s hazy, atmospheric quality. The metal plate was etched with fine dots to hold varying amounts of ink, producing subtle gradations of gray that mimic rain and mist. The delicate lines and soft edges contrast with the sharper contours of figures and architecture, emphasizing texture over detail and reinforcing the scene’s quiet intimacy.
History & Provenance
The print was made during Goldthwaite’s time in New York in the early 1920s, a period when she was actively engaged with the city’s evolving visual culture. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection in the decades following its creation, where it remains as part of a broader effort to document American printmaking from the interwar years.
Context
In the 1920s, New York was undergoing rapid urban development, with electric streetcars and skyscrapers replacing older infrastructure. Goldthwaite’s focus on a horse-drawn wagon amid modern architecture highlights this transitional moment. Her choice to depict ordinary, uneventful scenes aligned with a broader trend among artists seeking to capture the quiet dignity of everyday life.
Legacy
Goldthwaite’s use of aquatint in this work reflects her technical precision and sensitivity to tone. While not widely known today, her prints contributed to the recognition of American printmaking as a serious artistic medium. Her approach influenced later artists interested in atmospheric effects and the poetic potential of urban observation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anne Goldthwaite was an American painter and printmaker and an advocate of women's rights and equal rights.
