Vissende vrouw bekeken door twee jongemannen Possibly 1885

This print, "Vissende vrouw bekeken door twee jongemannen" or "Fishing woman watched by two young men", was made by Ferdinand Leenhoff. It is made by a process called etching, where a metal plate is covered in a waxy ground, the design is scratched into the ground, and then acid is applied to bite into the exposed metal. This is then inked and printed onto paper. Look closely at the dense network of lines – all achieved through this alchemic process of acid and ink. See how they describe the stone embankment where the woman and two men are situated. There is a real contrast between the hard stone architecture and labor of building and the leisure activity of fishing. Are they fishing for food, or for sport? Leenhoff treats the scene with dignity. The skilled labor of etching is in itself a kind of argument. By attending to the material and its making, we can broaden our sense of what this image is, and what it means.