The Small Cowherd 1910

Auguste-Louis Lepère made this etching, "The Small Cowherd," on paper. He was an etcher, so he worked with metal plates, coating them with wax, and then drawing an image with a sharp needle to expose the metal. The plate is then submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves that hold ink. Notice how the etched lines create the details of the landscape, from the distant buildings to the figure of the cowherd. The density and direction of the lines create shadow and texture, making the scene almost palpable. Printmaking had become a crucial method of disseminating images, reflecting the rise of mass media. Lepère’s embrace of etching, an older technique, suggests a deliberate engagement with craft traditions against the tide of industrialization. The labor-intensive process becomes meaningful; each print a testament to Lepère’s skill, and to the value of handmade production in a rapidly changing world.