Fotoreproductie van aquarel Koeien bij de oever van een plas in het water c. 1875 - 1890

This is a photographic reproduction of a watercolor titled 'Cows at the water's edge', made by Maurits Verveer. The photographic print flattens the watercolor’s textures, and the unique material qualities of the painting are removed through this industrial reproduction. Consider for a moment the labor involved. First, Verveer would have prepared his paper and pigments, then carefully applied washes of color to create this bucolic scene. It is likely that he sold the watercolor, to a buyer who valued a sense of calm, the Dutch landscape, and the lifestyle of the landed gentry. Next, the image was re-produced in the form of a photograph, thus erasing the artist's hand through the mechanical nature of this technique. What are we to make of this doubling? In the 19th century, the rise of reproductive technologies placed pressure on artists like Verveer, threatening the value of their labor. But it also expanded access to images, circulating them within the rising tide of capitalism and industrialization.