Lachend meisje 1864 - 1909

Editor: Here we have "Lachend Meisje," or "Laughing Girl," an etching made sometime between 1864 and 1909 by Jean-Baptiste Anthony. There's a quiet intimacy about her gentle smile and downward gaze. It’s almost like we’ve caught her in a private moment. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: What a charming slip of a thing it is! It whispers secrets, doesn’t it? I'm struck by the light. It seems to dance across her face and that fabulous lace collar, doesn't it? Consider how etching allows for such delicate lines and textures—think of drawing with light! It's so intimate and a little voyeuristic! Are you getting that sense too? Editor: Yes, definitely voyeuristic. All those fine lines creating so much detail— the folds in her hat, the texture of the lace, all from an etching? It’s incredible! But how much of that detail reflects what was truly there versus the artist's interpretation? Curator: Now that's a superb question. Photography was really coming into its own during this period. Artists like Anthony, well, they had to offer something more than just a mirror image. The selective details become a love letter, a captured feeling, an idealized truth. What do you make of that slight downward tilt of her head? Is it demure, or is it mischievous, hmm? Editor: Mischievous, I think! Like she knows something we don’t. I hadn’t thought about the influence of photography at the time; that’s a really insightful point. Curator: The beauty of art, isn’t it? A constant back-and-forth, a mirror reflecting other mirrors... mostly cracked of course.