Growing up, James E. Allen learned to draw, then to paint. He had already established himself as a commercial illustrator when, in 1925, he took time off to go to Paris where he shared a studio with fellow artist Howard Cook and learned printing for the first time. We know of a few linocuts from that timeframe, but it is his etchings and lithographs that he is known for today. Lithographs seem to be mostly for commercial work, an alternative to painting when appropriate. We can connect more than half his lithographs to a story or advertisement in print. The subject matter of others -- Kill Creek, Fulton's Folly, Monitor and Merrimac, High Tension Wires, seem rather singular and scattered to not be connected to stories. Time will tell we hope. Etchings on the other hand seem to be reserved for Allen's own personal art. His remarkable prints of steel workers, builders and other industrial scenes demonstrate his mastery of line to conjure images of light and dark and great depth.