The Little French Colony at Akaroa, 1845 1865

Charles Meryon made this print of Akaroa using etching, a process where lines are incised into a metal plate with acid, then inked and printed. Meryon never actually visited Akaroa, instead copying an image drawn by another artist. Etching flourished in the 19th century, prized for its ability to capture fine detail. But there's a tension here: this delicate, almost fragile medium is being used to represent a colonial project – the establishment of a French settlement in New Zealand. Look closely at the landscape; the dense foliage and distant hills are meticulously rendered with countless tiny lines. This contrasts sharply with the smoke in the air, perhaps signalling industrialization. The amount of work involved in creating this print speaks to the ambition of the colonial project itself, the desire to meticulously map and claim new territories. But ultimately, by focusing on the making of this print, we can reflect on the complex relationship between art, labor, and the broader historical context in which it was created.