A Welcome Guest 1777 - 1791

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki made this print, "A Welcome Guest," by incising lines into a copper plate. The fineness of the lines speaks to the engraver's skill. Look closely, and you will see the whole scene rendered through labor intensive techniques, from the beam ceilings to the furniture made by hand and the food laid on the table. Chodowiecki's work gives us a look into 18th-century life, and we can see this busy domestic scene, full of people who are all connected. We see class distinctions in the clothing and accoutrements of the different people, and we also see a level of fine craftsmanship in the objects that they wear and use. By attending to these material realities, we can see how the work is socially situated. It invites us to value the skills and labor required to produce culture, both then and now.