Wertheim, Leipziger-Platz, Berlin

The work focuses on the Wertheim department store, a prominent commercial building distinguished by its arched entrance, elaborate carvings, and expansive windows. By placing the structure within its urban context, Pennell highlights the interplay between monumental architecture and the flow of public activity, suggesting the building’s role as both a civic landmark and a venue for daily commerce.

Pennell employed the lithographic process, drawing directly onto a limestone surface with greasy media before treating the stone to retain ink only where the image was rendered. His line work combines precise observational detail—evident in the intricate moldings and window panes—with a broader, illustrative quality that simplifies forms and emphasizes contrast, a hallmark of his printmaking influenced by Whistler’s tonal approach.

Created during Pennell’s extended period of European travel, the lithograph reflects his long‑standing interest in documenting industrial and architectural subjects abroad. After its production, the print entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains part of the museum’s holdings of early‑20th‑century American prints.

Pennell, an American trained under James Lambdin and Thomas Eakins, spent much of his career abroad, absorbing European urban scenery. The 1920s saw Berlin undergoing rapid modernization, and the Wertheim store epitomized the era’s commercial optimism. The lithograph thus records a specific moment in the city’s architectural evolution, aligning with Pennell’s broader series of European cityscapes.