Pastelist Joseph Pennell documented the rapidly changing New York skyline more than a century ago.
The original Waldorf Astoria, depicted here by Joseph Pennell (American, 1857–1926), was the result of a merger between two adjacent luxury hotels in midtown Manhattan. The Waldorf Hotel opened on Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street in 1893, and the Astoria Hotel opened four years later on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Both palatial structures were built by feuding members of the Astor family, who eventually reconciled and joined the hotels with a nearly 1,000-foot corridor called Peacock Alley. The Waldorf Astoria— the largest hotel of its time—was notable for its opulent interior, fine dining, and prominent clientele.
After the hotel’s popularity flagged, the Astors sold the property to developers in 1929. The structure was promptly razed, and the Empire State Building was erected in its place. The current Waldorf Astoria opened further north, on Park Avenue, in 1931.
Pennell drew Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Thirty-Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue during one of his visits to New York, in 1904 or 1908. The artist, who was born and raised in Philadelphia, attended the Philadelphia School of Industrial Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. By the 1880s, his illustrations of architectural subjects were published in magazines, and a commission to draw European subjects induced him to settle in London. A friendship with painter James McNeill Whistler profoundly influenced his style as a draftsman and printmaker, and reinforced his interest in urban subjects.
Pennell’s New York City works were produced at a time when there was much discussion as to how artists could best depict the modern cityscape. According to art historian Margaret J. Schmitz, Pennell “played a key role … in popularising iconic visions of the metropolis and in establishing a new aesthetic vocabulary to describe it.” Works like Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Thirty-Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue documented the economic growth of the city, while also building a bridge between landscape traditions and modern urban art.
Here’s a Closer Look at the Painting
Framed by architectural devices on either side, Pennell depicts the Waldorf Astoria towering over neighboring buildings on Fifth Avenue. The white building with classical columns was the office of Knickerbocker Trust, a major bank that triggered a national financial crisis when it failed in 1907.
Pennell began drawing Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Thirty-Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue in pencil on brown paper, laying out the architectural structure and shadow accents before adding color with pastels. His limited palette is reminiscent of Whistler’s Venetian pastels.
Pennell described the city in romantic terms; to him, New York offered “colour by day more shimmering than Venice, by night more magical than London.” His painting focuses on a more prosaic subject—the subtle red of the hotel’s facade, which was comprised of sandstone, brick, and terra cotta. The artist took special interest in the hotel’s domes and rooftop details.
Art historian Mahonri Sharp Young said of the artist, “In an age indulgent to eccentricity, Joseph Pennell was remarkable for sheer irascibility. … young Pennell had a genius for not getting along with people. Yet he was immediately successful in the fiercely competitive field of illustration, and he was never dislodged from the strong position he at once assumed. Hard-working, he had remarkable ability and a specific talent for drawing, and he produced a tremendous volume of highly regarded work. He offended many, but he knew everybody, including the most talented.”
This article appears in the Spring 2025 issue of Pastel Journal, available in print and digital format.
About the Author
Jerry N. Weiss is a contributing writer to fine art magazines and teaches at the Art Students League of New York.
