Joseph Pennell was an illustrator, etcher, lithographer, and author. Born in Philadelphia, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Much of his time was spent in Europe, particularly in London, where he was greatly influenced by Whistler. His subjects are chiefly landscapes and architectural views, and his art is distinguished for its simplicity, technical perfection, and illustrative quality. Pennell
was a member (1909) of the National Academy of Design and of numerous European societies and a lecturer on illustration at the Slade School of Art, London, and the Royal College of Art, South Kensington. His publications include Pen Drawings and Pen Draughtsmen (1889), Modern Illustration (1895), Lithographs of New York (1905), Etchers and Etching (1919), Adventures of an Illustrator (1925), and, with Elizabeth R. Pennell, his wife, a biography of James McNeill Whistler (1908).