Kaartende soldaten 1775 - 1840

Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen made this engraving, "Kaartende soldaten," meaning soldiers playing cards, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Engraving is an intaglio process, meaning that the image is incised into a surface – here, a copper plate. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to physically carve the lines into the metal. Consider the labor involved: the precise, controlled movements required to create such fine details, and the careful planning needed to build up the composition line by line. The resulting print, made by inking the plate and pressing it onto paper, is a testament to the engraver's skill and patience. Engravings like this were often made in multiples, serving as a means of disseminating images and ideas to a wider audience. So while it may seem a world away from our digital age, this print speaks to a similar impulse: the desire to share, communicate, and connect through visual media. It reminds us that even the most traditional crafts have a role to play in shaping our understanding of the world around us.