Wachtende rijtuigen bij de Waterloo Bridge in Londen 1890

Willem Witsen made this etching, ‘Waiting Carriages by Waterloo Bridge in London’, using a copper plate and etching ink. The print shows us how the artist skillfully used the etching process to create an evocative scene. Notice the fine lines and details, achieved by drawing into a waxy ground on the metal plate, which was then exposed to acid. This eats away at the metal, allowing it to hold ink. The plate is then wiped clean, so that only the etched lines retain the ink, and finally it’s pressed onto paper. This print captures a slice of urban life, but it also tells us about the labor involved in its making. Witsen would have spent hours creating the etched plate. This was a time-consuming, skilled process, far removed from the speed of industrial production, yet still reliant on it. The etching suggests the way that laborious processes underpin even the most seemingly effortless artistic creations. Ultimately, the image reminds us to consider the hand of the artist, and the layers of labor, behind even the most apparently straightforward representations.