Portrait of Charles Meryon, in profile 1854

This is Félix Bracquemond’s etching of Charles Meryon, rendered in ink on paper. Here, the artist employed a painstaking intaglio process, using acid to bite lines into a metal plate. Ink is then applied, and the plate is pressed against paper, resulting in a print. What is striking is how the inherent qualities of etching influenced the artwork's appearance. Bracquemond makes visible the amount of work that goes into producing such an image: countless tiny marks, each one registering a moment of labor. Consider the social context: printmaking facilitated the distribution of images in a way that painting never could. Bracquemond was deeply involved in the French art world, which in the 19th century began to elevate craft to the level of fine art. As you consider this work, think about how materials, making, and context are crucial to understanding the full meaning of an artwork.