The first half of the 20th century was a particularly fertile moment in the history of American printmaking. Throughout this tumultuous period, which saw two world wars and the Great Depression, printmaking served as a cost-effective form of artistic expression and means of communicating artists’ observations and ideas. A new group of urban realists, some of whom were members of the so-called Ashcan School, began to depict scenes from everyday public life in prints as well as paintings. At the same time, some print-makers started to explore modernist aesthetics. Outside of urban centers, artists focused on rural communities and landscapes as the source of subjects. America offered limitless opportunities for the imaginations of printmakers and they, in turn, captured this exciting phase of United States history with dynamic, innovative work.

“Pressed in Time: American Prints 1905–1950” presents rarely-seen material from The Huntington and from two important private collections. Hannah S. Kully, who has promised her collection of American prints to The Huntington, lent nearly three-quarters of the pieces included in the exhibition. All of the examples of John Sloan’s work on view were lent by Gary, Brenda, and Harrison Ruttenberg, who have promised and begun donating their extensive John Sloan collection to The Huntington. The 163 prints selected from these three collections for this installation, represent the work of 82 artists who expressed distinctive aspects of the American experience. As Benton Spruance declared in 1937, he and fellow American printmakers sought “the symbols that mean ourselves, the way we think, the plans and hopes of our lives,” regardless of their choice of style or subject.

The exhibition begins with prints that show various aspects of cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia and, particularly, New York. Artists attracted to modernist styles influenced by Cubism tended to portray the architecture of the city rather than its inhabitants, as in Samuel Margolies, Man’s Canyons. Other printmakers, such as John Sloan, were attracted to the people of the city as their primary subjects. Sloan began his career as a newspaper illustrator in Philadelphia and later drew on his talent for capturing fleeting incidents of urban life to create lively images, peppered with social commentary. His print Barber Shop shows two barbers and a manicurist at work on customers, while a waiting patron reads the satirical weekly Puck, with the socialist magazine The Masses at his side. Also in this section, works such as Miguel Covarrubias’s The Lindy Hop reflect printmakers’ attraction to new urban modes of entertainment: nightclubs, amusement parks, movies, and prizefights.

Both urban and rural communities were affected by the Great Depression, the economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted throughout the 1930s, and was exacerbated by a drought that devastated much of the agriculture and society in the Great Plains. Artists such as Robert Gwathmey captured the endemic transience of the time in prints such as The Hitchhiker from around 1937. Despite these hardships, farming and other aspects of rural life continued to captivate artists who employed a variety of styles and print techniques. Bernard Steffen’s screenprint Haying uses color and composition to evoke the kinetic motion of farmers pitching hay.

While dealing with diverse themes, the exhibition focuses on prints in which the medium and message come together to make a strong, unified statement. In the case of Paul Landacre’s Death of a Forest, the stark contrasts of his wood engraving dramatically suggest the white-hot flames and dense clouds of smoke of a forest fire in the mountains near Los Angeles. Just as Landacre creatively depicted a topical subject, one that is still quite common, all of the artists represented in this exhibition created powerful, iconic works of art that captured various aspects of the innovative, turbulent, and vital culture of their day. Additional information and illustrations can be found in the book Pressed in Time: American Prints 1905–1950, available in The Bookstore & More.

This exhibition is co-curated by Jessica Todd Smith, Virginia Steele Scott Curator of American Art, and Kevin M. Murphy, Bradford and Christine Mishler Assistant Curator of American Art.  An illustrated catalog and audio guide have been produced to accompany the show.

This exhibition and the book Pressed in Time: American Prints 1905 -1950 were made possible by a gift from Steve Martin.

Related Programs

Curator Tour

Oct. 18, Thurs., 4:30-5:30 p.m. FILLED

Jessica Smith, the Virginia Steele Scott Curator of American Art, will lead a tour of the exhibition, discussing the artists who made the first half of the 20th century a dynamic era for American printmaking.

An Evening with the LA Opera: American Eyes,
American Ears

Oct. 24, Wed., 7 p.m.

Kevin Murphy, Bradford and Christine Mishler Assistant Curator of American Art, will present a slide lecture about the exhibition, followed by a performance of American music of the period by artists from the LA Opera. Members: $35. Non-members $45. Registration: 626-405-2128.

The Robert R. Wark Lecture

Nov. 9, Fri., 6:30 p.m.

David Kiehl, Curator of Prints at the Whitney Museum of American Art, will give a talk titled “Printmaking Now: Cycles of Tradition, Innovation, and Change.” Free. Friends’ Hall.

“Pressed in Time” Conference at The Huntington

Nov. 10, Sat., 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

In conjunction with the exhibition this conference brings together noted art historians to explore various aspects of the fine art of print making in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. Subjects will include representations of New York City, the experience of women printmakers, the medium of color screenprints, and prints by the Regionalist artists

Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton. $10. Registration: skrasnoo@huntington.org or 626-405-3432.

Printmaking Workshop: Winter Bloom Holiday Cards

Dec. 8, Sat., 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Using the exhibition as inspiration, students will use printmaking techniques to capture the beauty of the winter flowers in bloom around The Huntington. This workshop, led by instructor Melissa Manfull, will include a gallery visit, instruction in drawing plants, and an introduction to printmaking using linoleum relief techniques. Each person will create two sets of unique, hand-printed holiday cards. All supplies included. Members: $80. Non Members: $90. Registration: 626-405-2128.

Curator Tour

Dec. 13, Thurs., 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Jessica Smith, the Virginia Steele Scott Curator of American Art, will lead a tour of the exhibition, discussing the artists who made the first half of the 20th century a dynamic era for American printmaking. Members: $15. Non-members $20. Registration: 626-405-2128.

FREE audio tour available
Visitors may pick up a listening device in the Boone Gallery and take a 30-minute self-guided audio tour of the exhibition offering insightful commentary.

Harry Shokler, 1896-1978, Coney Island, ca. 1940. Color screenprint.
Collection of Hannah S. Kully

Samuel Margolies, 1898-1974, Man's Canyons, 1936.
Etching and aquatint.  Collection of Hannah S. Kully

Bernard Steffen, Haying, 1946. Color screenprint.
Collection of Hannah S. Kully.

Paul Landacre, 1893-1963, Death of a Forest, 1938. Wood engraving

John Sloan, The Barber Shop, 1915. Etching and aquatint.
Collection of Gary, Brenda, and Harrison Ruttenberg.

Paul Landacre, Coachella Valley, ca. 1935. Wood engraving.
Collection of Hannah S. Kully.