Cleveland Museum of Art

Building Aircraft: Making the Engine

Date

1917

Medium

lithograph on wove paper

Culture

England, 20th century

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The British government commissioned Christopher Nevinson to create this print, part of a series of six, during World War I. By depicting the manufacture and use of airplanes in England, Nevinson represented the motivations and goals of war to a broad public. This image emphasizes the intense focus and strength required to build an engine. Diagonals and geometric shapes throughout suggest the efficiency and velocity of modern manufacturing. This print belongs to a series commissioned by England’s Bureau of Information during World War I.

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