Interieur met een trap before 1909

W.F. Barber made this etching, 'Interieur met een trap' - Interior with Stairs - with a plate of copper or zinc. It’s a scene of quiet architecture, focusing on the geometry of tiled floors and stairs. The lines here feel a bit like a memory, just enough information to suggest a lived-in space, but without all the fussy details. The etching is made up of countless tiny lines, like a swarm of bees building a hive. Look at how the light catches on the stairs, each step defined by a delicate shadow. It’s almost as if Barber is feeling his way through the space, letting the lines guide him. The ink isn’t precious, it’s practical - a way of recording an idea. This reminds me of Piranesi's etchings of fantastical prisons, where space becomes ambiguous and dreamlike. Like Piranesi, Barber uses linear mark-making to suggest how a building can feel like a psychological space, full of hidden depths.