Vrouw met kind op een bank tegen een gevel 1843

This print, ‘Vrouw met kind op een bank tegen een gevel’, was etched by Charles Jacque in the 19th Century, using a copper plate. Look closely and you can see the fine, dark lines that define the figures. The etching process gives the image its distinctive character. The artist would have coated the plate with a waxy substance, drawn the image with a needle, and then bathed the plate in acid, biting away the exposed lines. Ink is then pressed into these grooves and transferred to paper, creating the print. While the image seems simple, the etched lines carry a social weight. Consider the labor of the artisan in creating the copperplate, the physical work involved, and the skilled traditions behind etching as a printing process. The choice of subject matter—a woman and child in what appears to be impoverished surroundings—also prompts us to reflect on the social context of the time, the lives of working-class families, and the labor they would have performed. Jacque’s choice of process aligns with his subject; both are rooted in work.