Uniform van de officieren van de Koninklijke Militaire Academie, 1845 1845

Louis Salomon Leman created this print in 1845 of the uniforms worn by officers of the Koninklijke Militaire Academie, or Royal Military Academy. The printmaking process itself involves a complex choreography of labor, from the initial drawing to the carving of the printing plates, to the eventual hand-application of color. Note how the artist captured the sharp lines of the uniforms through etching and engraving. These techniques require a high degree of skill and precision, reflecting a tradition of craftsmanship often overlooked in favor of the image. Consider the amount of work it would have taken to produce these images, and the collaborative effort it embodies. The materiality of this work and the modes of production that underpin it, from the artist to the publisher, give us a new appreciation for the art of printmaking itself.