Laborers 1 - 1789

George Stubbs made this print, Laborers, using the technique of engraving. Look closely, and you will see that the image is built up from a dense matrix of tiny lines. Engraving is an exacting, time-consuming process. The artist uses a tool called a burin to manually cut lines into a metal plate. This print would have been made by inking the plate, wiping it clean so that ink remained only in the etched lines, and then running it through a press. The sharp, clean aesthetic is characteristic of the medium. Engraving was historically associated with the reproduction of images, so it's interesting to see Stubbs, better known for his paintings of horses, engage with it directly. The subject matter—laborers taking a break—also points to a world of manual processes. By immortalizing this everyday scene through such an arduous technique, Stubbs elevates both the craft of printmaking and the lives of working people.