Study for a plate from The Task c. 1800

This is a study for a plate from The Task, made by Thomas Stothard, probably in the late 18th or early 19th century. It’s made with pen and ink on paper, and reproduced later as an engraving. Engraving was a key means of visual communication during this period, one inextricably linked with the rise of print culture and the expansion of consumerism. This method of image production involved highly skilled labor. The original drawing would be transferred onto a metal plate, where an engraver would use specialized tools to carefully carve the image. The plate would then be inked, and used to make multiple impressions on paper. Consider the labor involved, not only of Stothard, but also of the engraver, the printer, and the publisher, all working in concert to create an image, like this, intended for mass consumption. It challenges our traditional notions of art as a purely individual creation, revealing the collaborative and commercial forces at play.