Man en vrouw bij een spinnenwiel 1889

Charles Mertens created this etching, depicting a man and woman at a spinning wheel, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. Etching is an indirect printmaking technique. The artist covers a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground. They then scratch an image into the ground with a pointed tool, exposing the metal. The plate is immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating recessed lines. The ground is removed, and the plate is inked, filling the etched lines. The surface is wiped clean, and the print is made by pressing paper against the plate, transferring the ink from the recessed lines to the paper. The image brings a focus to spinning, a laborious manual task gradually being displaced by industrialization during Mertens' time. The spinning wheel, an older technology, represents traditional forms of labor. By depicting this scene, Mertens prompts us to consider the social and economic shifts occurring as mechanized production gained prominence. Paying attention to materials, making, and context allows us to fully appreciate the social meaning of an artwork.