En spindende bondekone 1850

Johannes Wilhelm Zillen created this etching, "En spindende bondekone," using a metal plate to capture a scene of rural life. The printmaking process itself mirrors the labor-intensive nature of the depicted subject matter. Notice the intricate network of lines, each one carefully etched into the metal. Ink is then applied to the plate, and the excess wiped away, leaving ink only in the etched lines. The image is transferred to paper under high pressure, bearing witness to the amount of work involved in the production process. Zillen’s work prompts us to consider the labor involved in both its making, and in the everyday realities of a spinning peasant woman. In a world increasingly defined by industrialization, the image immortalizes the importance of manual processes.