Uitzicht vanaf het duin De Blinkert op de stad Haarlem 1763

Cornelis van Noorde made this print of Haarlem from the dunes using etching and engraving, both processes that rely on the controlled erosion of a metal plate to hold ink. The etcher protects the plate with a waxy ground, draws an image, and then immerses the plate in acid. Where exposed, the metal is eaten away, creating recessed lines. Engraving, by contrast, uses a handheld tool to manually cut lines into the plate. The etcher uses acid for efficiency, while the engraver achieves precision, allowing for fine details in the final print. Look closely, and you can see the landscape is rendered through the repetitive action of mark-making. With these techniques, prints like these could be made and distributed widely. This was a significant shift in artistic production, enabling the wider dispersal of images. Paying attention to materials and making helps us appreciate the democratizing effect of printmaking, and understand its place in society.