I - Monuments to Power

From the dawn of recorded history, architects have been called upon to help celebrate power - be it divine, or human. It may be that of a single individual, or of groups or nations of people. Sometimes it might also be for some powerful and earth-shaking event that brings with it grief or joy.

This first section presents five examples of prints inspired by such monuments, beginning with Frank Brangwyn’s rendering of the Monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666 designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The second and third prints are of the Washington National Monument, one being Robert Mills’ original design of 1846 as lithographed by Charles Fenderich, and the other by Leon Dolice of the monument as it was finally completed in 1884.

The fourth and fifth prints by Richard Haas are monuments to economic power—that of the country’s Empire State, and that of Walter P. Chrysler, one of its prominent industrialists. Note that these were printed on aluminum panels which catch the reflective qualities of the stainless steel surfaces of these two landmark buildings.