Portret van Friedrich August Lehr Possibly 1831 - 1873

Nikolaus Hoff created this portrait of Friedrich August Lehr using a technique called etching. It’s a printmaking process that relies on acid to cut into a metal plate, which then transfers the image to paper. What's fascinating here is the degree of labor that goes into this method. First, Hoff would have coated a copper plate with a waxy substance, then scratched an image into it with a needle, exposing the metal beneath. After this, the plate would be submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to these grooves, and the plate is pressed onto paper. The result is a finely detailed image with a unique texture. This process, requiring skill and time, contrasts sharply with today's instant digital images. The etching emphasizes the value placed on craftsmanship and the hand-made in earlier eras, before the age of mechanical reproduction. It reminds us that every image, even a seemingly simple portrait, has a history embedded in its making.