Gezicht op de Place Dauphine met de bebouwde Pont au Change en de Pont Saint-Michel over de rivier de Seine te Parijs 1745 - 1775

Jean-François Daumont made this print of the Place Dauphine in Paris using etching and engraving. This reproductive printmaking process allowed for the wide distribution of images, which fueled the burgeoning visual culture of the 18th century. Look closely, and you can see the intricate network of lines that create the image. The etcher would have coated a metal plate with wax, drawn the design through the wax, and then bathed the plate in acid, which bit into the exposed metal. The engraver then refined the lines with a burin, a sharp tool that creates clean, precise cuts. Finally, the plate was inked and pressed onto paper. The labor-intensive process of printmaking reveals the demands of mass production. Each line represents hours of skilled work, reflecting the economies of labor, politics and consumption in 18th-century Paris. By understanding the intricate and highly skilled processes involved, we can more fully appreciate the visual and cultural significance of this print.