Bertha E. Jaques, born Covington, OH - A Sunny Corner - 1911 - T-Shirt

Bertha E. Jaques's 1911 etching A Sunny Corner shows sunlight resting on an unassuming architectural nook, turning an overlooked corner into the quiet subject of the picture.

Visual Elements & Composition

The composition is built around a single corner of a domestic or urban structure. Rather than a monument or a broad vista, the eye settles on one small, intimate space. The sun falls across it in fine, delicate lines, and the play of light against shadow sets the rhythm of the print. The scene is rendered entirely in the graphic language of etching, with tonal passages of soft shade giving way to brighter areas where the sunlight lands.

Meaning & Symbolism

Sunlight on a plain wall stands for the fleeting nature of light and the calm of ordinary life. Jaques was a leading figure in the American etching revival and a co-founder of the Chicago Society of Etchers, and she taught herself the techniques of biting and wiping plates to elevate printmaking to fine art. A Sunny Corner is a prime example of her mature style from the early 1910s. It reflects a period of rapid industrialization, when artists sought stillness and poetry in everyday spaces, and the print carries themes of warmth, contemplation, and the comfort of home.

Made for the Everyday Wearer

This is a shirt that suits a corner of the day rather than a grand occasion. The print sits on the chest as a single, contained scene, much like the corner it depicts, so it reads clearly from across a room and rewards a closer look. Wear it on a slow morning or an afternoon at home, when a small pool of sunshine is the best thing in view.