View of the Spot Where General Ross Fell, Near Baltimore, plate six of the first number of Picturesque Views of American Scenery 1819 - 1821

John Hill’s “View of the Spot Where General Ross Fell, Near Baltimore” is a print from around the 1820s, made with etching and aquatint, then carefully colored by hand. The technical virtuosity involved is easily overlooked. To achieve such subtle gradations of tone with aquatint requires incredible skill. The etcher must stop out areas of the plate in stages, rebiting the image multiple times to achieve a range of values. Then, someone had to meticulously apply watercolors, using the etched lines as guides. The image is almost photographic in its realism, yet it is entirely constructed. Consider the labor involved in producing just one impression, let alone a whole edition. It’s a remarkable thing, this industrialization of handcraft. This print represents the commercialization of picturesque views, made accessible through skilled labor and reproductive technologies. It invites us to consider how images shape our understanding of history and place, and the often unseen hands that bring them to life.