Portret van kunstenaar Edwin Edwards met zijn vrouw 1875 - 1889

Louis Monziès made this portrait print of the artist Edwin Edwards and his wife using etching in the late 1800s. Etching is a printmaking technique where the artist protects a metal plate with wax, scratches an image into the wax, then dips the plate in acid, which bites away the exposed lines. The plate is then inked and printed, transferring the image to paper. The dense network of etched lines gives the image its tonality, creating depth and shadow. Notice the different densities of line, from the darker tones of Edward's beard, to the softer shading of his wife’s face and dress. Etching allowed artists like Monziès to produce multiple original artworks relatively quickly. The resulting prints could be sold at a lower cost, expanding access to art beyond painting and sculpture. When we consider the choices made in its production, this image becomes more than a likeness; it's a fascinating intersection of labor, artistic practice, and expanding markets for art in the 19th century.