Hoofd van een vrouw, naar rechts kijkend 1871

This print, "Head of a Woman, Looking Right," was made by Jules Ferdinand Jacquemart, using etching. This is a laborious, skilled, and indirect printing process, involving coating a metal plate with wax, scratching the design into it, and then bathing the plate in acid. The incised lines then hold ink, which is transferred to paper under great pressure. Consider how the laborious nature of the etching influenced its appearance. The texture of the paper, the controlled lines, and the tonal gradations all speak to the careful labor involved. The artist harnessed these qualities to depict the woman’s headscarf and the texture of her dress, giving it a sense of depth and realism, inviting closer inspection. This print is not just an image, but a product of skilled handwork that is part of the wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption, with a substantial amount of work involved in the production process. By understanding these techniques, we can appreciate the social and material dimensions of Jacquemart's work, and challenge the distinction between art and craft.