Two Strings to Your Bow 1800

Thomas Rowlandson made this print, "Two Strings to Your Bow," using etching and hand coloring techniques. It was a labor-intensive process, involving acid-biting a metal plate to create the image, then inking and printing, and finally applying colors by hand. This printmaking method was perfect for satire because it allowed Rowlandson to create multiple copies, making his social commentary widely accessible. The hand-coloring aspect suggests a workshop setting, with artisans carefully applying washes of pigment according to Rowlandson's instructions. Consider the irony: commenting on the excesses of the wealthy through a process that itself involved considerable hand labor. Rowlandson blurs the lines between production and critique, showing us that even the tools and techniques we use carry their own social weight. It challenges us to think about how art can be both a product of its time and a commentary on it.