Wanda, Pauline and Emma, Daughters of Severin Potocki and Anne Potocka, née Sapiecha c. 18th century

Curator: This is a print by Jacques Louis Copia, active in the late 18th century, titled "Wanda, Pauline and Emma, Daughters of Severin Potocki and Anne Potocka, née Sapiecha." Editor: It has such a hushed, fairytale quality, doesn't it? Like peeking into a secret garden. Curator: Absolutely. Copia's use of aquatint creates these soft gradations that mimic the atmospheric quality of chalk drawings while being reproducible. Editor: The children themselves! The girl holding the cat...a symbol of domesticity, perhaps? While the other points for silence, like holding a secret. Curator: The choice of aquatint, a process relying on acid etching and rosin, democratizes art production. And the paper itself, its texture and weight, speaks to a specific market and mode of consumption. Editor: It is a fascinating intersection of innocence and social class, all captured in this single, evocative image. Curator: Indeed, a glimpse into the material realities and social constructs of the late 18th century. Editor: A moment frozen in time, steeped in symbolism.