Foot of South Water Street

Gustave Baumann

Noted in the Chamberlain catalogue is this image's inclusion in the 1908 publication A Portfolio of Prints by The Graphic Arts Club (New York), which also included Baumann's "Fishing Hut on the North Shore." The two images (including this impression) are shown side by side in the Chamberlain catalogue and illustrate Baumann's wonderful capacity to depict different moods in light.

Baumann's ninth print, "Foot of South Water Street" captures the energizing morning light of a neigborhood that has since been altered. 'This is a wonderful snapshot of early twentieth-century Chicago. South Water Street ran parallel to the Chicago River and was once a vibrant commercial center of the city. In the 1920s, many of the buildings were leveled for redevelopment, and the double-decker Wacker Drive replaced congested Water Street.' - Chamberlain, p. 135, In a Modern Rendering: The Color Woodcuts of Gustave Baumann