At home on the range
Every so often I come across something so off the wall I feel compelled to post about it even though I have no real idea what to say about it. During the course of an average day copy-cataloging books at the library; a certain percentage of which are gift books often quite old and rather beat up I found myself holding a book called The Jew at home: impressions of a summer and autumn spent with him, a travelogue and sketchbook originally published in in the 1890's by D Appleton.
The author was Robert Pennell, Etcher, Illustrator, friend and Biographer of James MacNeill Whistler. Apparently what I had was a second or third edition of this book as in the introduction he refers to correspondence with a gentleman who had taken sharp exception to the book. I'm not surprised having glanced through the contents. I don't know anything above the history or controversy that might surround this book. The Wikipedia bio on Pernell
Joseph Pennell - Wikipedia  does not mention it. To me it seemed to exemplify a strain 19th century anti-semitism, that yet seemed convinced of its own dispassionate objectivity.The background of the book was mass population movements of the time: some choice (movement towards opportunity) some forced (i.e. pogroms, ethnic cleansing). In brief by Jewish populations out of Russia and Poland and into Hungary Austria and Germany. Pennell made a career out of traveling and sketching as can be seen by the large number of books and art works he left behind
Search results for 'joseph Pennell' > 'Joseph Pennell ' Looking through that book was like watching a time bomb being made.
Among his other works; something else he did caught my eye. Posters of Mass Destruction. Pennell did a series of war bond posters for the Government during world war I. Poster number 4
Find in a Library: That liberty shall not perish from the earth, buy Liberty Bonds Fourth Liberty Loan (click on the image links) was just exceptional the perfect image of ekpiraxis. A fevered dream of eventual reality. The amazing thing is that I couldn't recall ever seeing it before. I like this so much I think I may make one of the permanent extraneous images I line this page with.
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