Will the Museum of Failure Succeed?

By Henry Petroski

Showcases for the best in art, science, design, or even concepts, rarely feature the missteps on the way to masterpiece status.

This Article From Issue

January-February 2018

Volume 106, Number 1

Page 20

DOI: 10.1511/2018.106.1.20

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Museums are commonly and rightly thought of as celebrations of success. Patrons of the arts, and even just plain patrons who like to be seen as cultured, flock to these temples of taste to view and admire acknowledged masterpieces in what has become their natural setting: well-lit, climate- controlled, and securely guarded galleries. No matter how good the technology of reproduction has become, no experience is considered equal to being in the presence of the real thing.

Joseph Pennell (1857–1926) was one of few artists to make a name for himself by depicting large infrastructure projects in the midst of construction. This piece, titled *Dinner time Gatun Locks,* shows workers going on break during the building of the Panama Canal.

**Joseph Pennell/Library of Congress**

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