Gevecht tussen de Nederlandse en Belgische troepen bij de Vlaamsepoort 1830 - 1831

Théodore Fourmois made this print, "Fight between Dutch and Belgian Troops at the Vlaamsepoort," using a technique that involves both acid and immense skill. He would have used a metal plate, likely copper or zinc, coating it with a waxy, acid-resistant substance. Fourmois then etched his design, through this coating, exposing the metal beneath. Dipping the plate in acid, the drawn lines are bitten into the metal, creating grooves. The deeper the bite, the darker that line will appear in the final print. The plate is then inked, the surface wiped clean, and the ink remaining in the etched lines is transferred to paper under great pressure. Consider the social context: prints like these made imagery accessible. They democratized art. This wasn't a unique painting for a wealthy collector, but rather an image for mass consumption. The lines created through skilled labor and industrial processes, reproduce conflict for the enjoyment, or perhaps the moral instruction, of a wide audience.