Titelpagina van Willem Bilderdijks Nieuwe Oprakeling, 1827 1827

This is the title page of Willem Bilderdijks Nieuwe Oprakeling, made in 1827 by Elisabeth Barbara Schmetterling. It is an etching, a printmaking technique with a fascinating connection to industry. Here, we see delicate lines forming an allegorical scene, complete with cherubic figure. But to get those lines, the artist would have covered a metal plate with a waxy ground, scratched the image into that surface, and then bathed the whole thing in acid. This eats away at the exposed metal, leaving an image in relief. Ink is then applied and the plate pressed to paper. The process involved corrosive materials and demanding labor – part of a much larger economy of printmaking. Before photography, etching was a key way of reproducing images and texts and distributing them widely, like the book you are about to read. So, as you turn the page, remember that it too is the product of ingenuity and collaboration, blurring boundaries between art, craft, and commercial enterprise.