About the work

When the Chestnut Street Bridge, which crosses the Schuylkill River, was built in 1861, it was described as, “a bridge whose scale and use of cast iron made it singular in the United States and throughout the world”. The river was primarily used for transportation when Pennell made this etching, but the industrial use was increasing and by the end of the century, the river had transitioned to rail yards, slaughterhouses, trash yards, and other industrial uses. This is a rare very early work by Pennell.

Attributes	Value
Medium	Etching, Print
Date	1900-1920
Signing, Dating, and Titling	Hand signed by the Artist
Framing	Custom framed and matted using conservation materials
Condition	Excellent Condition
Type	Old Etchings

Medium:

Etching on Fine Laid Japon

Date:

1884

Signature:

This picture is significantly light-toned. To avoid the distraction of the edge of the toned area, the picture was rematted to cover the edge, resulting in the signature being covered.

Editioning:

Unknown (not reported in catalogue)

Framing:

Custom matted and framed in wood behind 99% UV-blocking conservation glass using strictly conservation-grade materials.

Condition:

Significant light-toning.

Framed Size:

20½ in. (h) x 17 in. (w) x 1 in. (d)

Sheet Size:

11.875 in. (h) x 10 in. (w)

Literature:

Catalogue raisonne: Wuerth 88