Artwork
The Collier
The Collier is an ink print by Joseph Pennell. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1917, *The Collier* is a lithographic print by American artist Joseph Pennell.
Created in 1917, *The Collier* is a lithographic print by American artist Joseph Pennell. Known for his precise renderings of industrial and architectural subjects, Pennell captures a bustling shipyard scene where a massive vessel rises amid masts, ropes, and laborers. The composition emphasizes the scale of the construction and the kinetic energy of the workers, offering a snapshot of early‑twentieth‑century maritime industry.
Subject & Meaning
The image portrays a shipyard in full activity, with a partially built ship dominating the foreground. Tall masts and tangled rigging dominate the visual field, while figures of laborers move hurriedly along the decks and between cranes. The surrounding smaller boats and equipment suggest a broader industrial complex, highlighting the interplay between human effort and mechanical progress that characterized the era’s shipbuilding enterprises.
Technique & Style
Pennell employed the lithographic process, drawing directly onto a prepared stone with greasy crayon before transferring the image onto paper. The resulting print is marked by a loose, sketch‑like quality; rapid, scratchy lines convey immediacy and movement. The paper’s worn appearance and the lack of extensive smoothing reinforce the sense of a single, decisive execution, aligning the work’s visual vigor with its industrial subject.
History & Provenance
Although Pennell spent much of his career working in Europe, he produced *The Collier* during a period when his focus remained on American industrial landscapes. Trained under James Lambdin and Thomas Eakins and influenced by James McNeill Whistler, he applied his expertise in both fine art and commercial illustration. The print has circulated among collectors of early twentieth‑century American prints and appears in several museum collections documenting the era’s industrial imagery.
Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Pennell (July 4, 1857 – April 23, 1926) was an American draftsman, etcher, lithographer, and illustrator for books and magazines.
