Oval vignet med struds 1793

This oval vignette with an ostrich was made in 1793 by Gerhard Ludvig Lahde. It’s an etching, a printmaking process that relies on acid to incise lines into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed onto paper. Notice the crisp, precise lines that define the ostrich and its surroundings. This level of detail is achieved through careful application of the etching resist and precise timing in the acid bath, demanding the artist's dexterity and control. The vignette gives us a glimpse into the natural world through the lens of 18th-century printmaking, a process dependent on skilled labor and the circulation of images within a growing print market. The depiction of the exotic ostrich speaks to the era’s fascination with the natural world, and its consumption and classification through artistic reproduction. Considering the relationship between materials, making, and context allows us to see this print not just as an image, but as a record of a specific time, place, and set of social relations.