Joseph Pennell

Born in Philadelphia in 1857, Joseph Pennell studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and became one of the best-known American illustrators and printmakers of his era. He worked as a draftsman, etcher, lithographer, and writer, and built a reputation for energetic images of architecture, city streets, bridges, and industrial scenes.

Pennell spent much of his working life in Europe, especially in London, while also traveling widely to make illustrations for books and magazines. He collaborated with major writers, including William Dean Howells, and became closely associated with James McNeill Whistler, later helping write about Whistler's life and work with his wife, Elizabeth Robins Pennell.

In later years he returned to the United States, where his views of New York and other modern urban subjects continued to stand out. After his death in 1926, his prints, drawings, papers, and related collections became an important part of the Library of Congress, helping preserve the work of a remarkably prolific artist.