Gezicht op de Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal te Amsterdam 1848 - 1902

Frans Schikkinger made this print of the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in Amsterdam using etching, a printmaking technique dependent on acid. Schikkinger would have covered a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then scratched an image into that ground with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. When the plate was dipped in acid, the exposed lines would be eaten away, creating grooves. The deeper the grooves, the more ink they would hold, and the darker they would appear in the final print. Notice the variety of marks here: see the sharp, sure lines of the boat’s rigging, contrasted with the fainter hatching in the sky. This wasn't a quick process; each print would have involved careful inking and running through a press. The repetitive, skilled labor involved shows how even an image can be understood as a product of industry. Recognizing the artistry and the labor helps us to move beyond simply seeing the image, and towards understanding how it was brought into being.