Mary, Queen of Scots signs the paper by which she resigns her crown to her infant son (from "History of England") 1787

William Hamilton made this print, “Mary, Queen of Scots signs the paper by which she resigns her crown to her infant son,” around 1795, using etching and engraving. As a print, it was conceived as a multiple, intended for wide distribution. Consider how this affects the image itself. Hamilton’s composition is clear and legible, designed for easy understanding. Look closely and you’ll notice a fine tracery of lines and dots, an effect achieved through careful work with etching tools and engraving burins. The result is reproducible and accessible, like the history it depicts. Hamilton made this print well after the fact, with access to documentation only. The image is thus a potent combination of fact and imagination, a vision made available for a mass audience. So, although it may seem worlds away from digital media, we might consider this print as an early form of information technology.