Fox c. 18th century

Editor: This is "Fox" by Samuel Howitt. The etching has a very delicate quality. I'm curious, what can we tell from the process about its cultural context? Curator: The etching process itself, with its reliance on acid and metal plates, speaks to industrial advancements and the means of mass production. Howitt’s skilled labor is embedded in each line, a form of commodity shaped by 18th-century English society's demand for picturesque imagery. Where do you see signs of labor in the work? Editor: I guess the uniformity of the marks, and the sheer number of them. I never thought of it that way before. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. We see the imprint of both artistic skill and broader economic forces at play.