James E. Allen often took inspiration from American laborers, depicting iron and steel workers, miners, dry dock workers, salvage operators, and men at sea as every day heroes. In a series of eight remarkable etchings, Allen celebrates the men who were building the skyscrapers that for many were the most visible symbol of 20th century progress.

At the same time, photographers like Lewis Hine were documenting steel workers high above the city, risking their lives without hard hats or safety lines to create the skeletons of buildings like the Empire State Building. I think it is safe to assume such popular photography was a source of inspiration to Allen. We know for instance that Allen owned the 15 volume “The Pageant of America: A Pictorial History of the United States” (Yale University Press, 1925 to 1929) that included 7000+ images of commerce and industry. Any direct connection is of course pure speculation, but it is fun to see how different artists using different media capture the times, and how they both might resonate to the audiences of the day.

It is worthy to note that these are etchings. While Allen uses paintings and lithographs for his commercial art, etchings seem to be reserved for his personal and purely artistic efforts. Dating back to his studies with Howard Cook in Paris, they are his finest work in my opinion, displaying a mastery of line to produce detail and atmosphere, dark and light, often for scenes of compelling human drama.

(1) Brazilian Builders -- Though these images depict different circumstances — the lowering of a pipe vs a vertical commute — they share a natural sense of ease and similar poses while riding rigs in the air.

(2) The Builders -- Both the artist and photographer appreciate composition, focusing the attention of in-image participants and external viewers on the intersection of the beams. Allen had more opportunity to determine the forms, creating a more rigorous arrangement of skewed right angles and triangles. He also keeps faces partially obscured, perhaps more to make the composition, like the photograph, “unaware” of the camera, less posed.

“To assure authenticity, Allen called in a construction site foreman to check the accuracy of his depiction before allowing the plate to be printed.” — Essay by Eliza M. Rothman, “James E. Allen [catalog]”, Mary Ryan Gallery, New York, 1984

(3) Connectors -- An example of teamwork as each pair tends to a weighted hook and pulley. While both show precarious situations, Allen’s seated/kneeling poses show a sense of comfort, a greater sense of disregard for their great height. Again we see Allen’s use of structural framing in the dramatically angled beams.

(4) On Top of the World -- Here Allen eliminates all but a hint of the nearby structure, and angles the view downward to emphasize the drama of flying above the city. Note that the geometry of their perch forces both workers to lean back, holding on by outstretched hands.

(5) Sky Riders -- While both photos show workers riding beams as they are transported, Allen shifts the angle upwards from the photographer’s straight on view. His emphasis is more than a ride-along, as the workers seem to be tasked with connecting the broad beam they are riding with the corner of the skyscraper cutting into the frame. Note again the rider leaning back into space rather than clinging close to the cable.

(7) Steel Workers -- This etching reminds me more of Allen’s story illustrations. Unlike the photo, where the worker is leaning over to adjust something, the Allen worker seems to depict a more narrative moment, drawing attention downward to the diminutive figures below, who are further dwarfed by the buildings much farther below.

(8) Up Above the World -- I could not find a good match for this etching, but the contrast is interesting. Allen’s work is a variation of “The Builders” above, showing two rather than three workers at a strong point of convergence. The sense of peril is heightened by the now familiar pose of a figure hanging — one handed! — above an imagined unobstructed fall. The photo also shows a pair of workers, one literally on the edge, but evocatively silhouetted at an isolating distance.

Additional examples of photographic inspiration for Allen’s works are more tenuous, but still fun to look for. Here is a nice comparison from “The Pageant of America: A Pictorial History of the United States”:

-- Lynn McRae (lmcrae@stanford.edu)