The Coquette at Her Toilet 1787

This print, titled "The Coquette at Her Toilet," was made by George Morland in the late 1700s using a technique called mezzotint, which is a painstaking and skilled process. The method involves roughening a copper plate with a tool called a rocker to create a burr, and then smoothing areas to produce lighter tones. Morland's technical expertise in mezzotint allowed him to depict the textures of fabric, the sheen of hair, and the overall softness of the scene. But consider how it relates to labor: someone had to make that copper plate, someone had to print it, and someone had to apply the color. In its own way, the print embodies the labor of the working classes, as a product consumed by the leisured classes. Mezzotint sits at the intersection of craft and fine art; and in its production and consumption, the print reflects wider issues of labor, politics, and consumption in British society at the time.