Skibe på en flod. Til venstre et tårn 1740s

Johanna Fosie created this print, "Ships on a River, with a Tower to the Left," using engraving, a skilled process of cutting lines into a metal plate. Look closely, and you'll see how the network of etched lines defines the image. See how Fosie varies the density and direction of these lines, creating tone and texture – from the rippling water to the cloudy sky. Engraving is labor-intensive, demanding precision and control. The engraver uses a tool called a burin to carve the image into the metal. Ink is then applied to the plate, and the surface is wiped clean. The ink remains in the etched lines, ready to be transferred to paper under great pressure. In Fosie’s time, prints like these were valued for their ability to disseminate images widely. They played a vital role in circulating visual information, functioning as a kind of pre-photographic distribution network. This print, therefore, represents not just an image, but also a sophisticated system of production and consumption.