This view adopts some several conventions of folk painting: a non-linear perspective, extremely simplified renderings of structures and people; and a “coverage” of the scene that feels complete. The style was one of several for Nichols. Perhaps most…
A faceless laborer lifts what appears to be bales of cotton--presumably one of many for New York's textile and garment industries. The etching's dark, cross-hatched interior contrasts with a view of docks, tugboat, and buildings seen through the…