Brooklyn Bridge at Night After many year abroad, Joseph Pennell
settled in Brooklyn Heights in 1921. His upper-story apartment
afforded magnificent views of New York, its waterways, and its
bridges—all of which were regular subjects in his art. Pennell
achieved the tenebrous effects of this work with aquatint, an
etching technique in which the picture is conceived in tone
rather than line. Aquatint uses a plate coated with a porous,
grainy ground. During the bath, acid bites the underlying metal
around the tiny grains, thus creating a subtly patterned area
that prints as a tonal wash. By varying the bath time for
different sections of the plate, the artist produces darker or
lighter tones. - Artist: Joseph Pennell, American, 1860-1926 -
Medium: Aquatint in black ink on cream, light-weight, slightly
textured laid paper - Dates: 1922 - Dimensions: Sheet: 8 3/8 x
10 1/2 in. (21.3 x 26.7 cm) Image: 7 3/8 x 8 13/16 in. (18.7 x
22.4 cm) (show scale) - Signature: Signed below image in center,
in pencil: "Jo Pennell