Familie buiten bij hun woning 1817 - 1882

This print, "Family Outside Their Home," was made by Johann Gabriel Friedrich Poppel sometime in the mid-19th century. It is an etching, a process that involves drawing an image into a wax ground on a metal plate and then using acid to bite into the exposed lines. Notice the level of detail Poppel achieved. Look closely at the thatched roof, the texture of the foliage, and the faces of the figures. This level of detail speaks to the skill required to execute an etching successfully. Etching allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images, which democratized art by making it more accessible. This print aestheticizes the lives of ordinary people, but also participates in a wider social context, where printed images were increasingly used to circulate ideas about national identity, class, and labor. Appreciating the craft of etching helps us understand its broader cultural role in 19th-century society.