Woman Playing with a Cat 1800 - 1900

Francois Boucher made this print, "Woman Playing with a Cat," using etching and engraving techniques. The red chalk manner, or "manière de crayon," seen here imitates the soft, textural qualities of a chalk drawing, but it’s achieved through the skilled manipulation of metal tools on a copper plate. Look closely, and you’ll see a network of fine lines and dots that create the image. The density and direction of these marks define the forms, light, and shadow. This laborious process demands precision and control, requiring the artist to translate a fleeting sketch into a durable matrix for reproduction. Prints like this one were made and consumed on an industrial scale. They were a key way of disseminating imagery during the 18th century, tying in with wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. By considering the labor-intensive techniques of etching and engraving, we gain a richer understanding of how this artwork’s material qualities connect to its cultural significance, and can see the social context from which it emerged.