Drie mannen op straat bij nacht 1717

This engraving, "Three Men on the Street at Night," was made by Bernard Picart in the early 18th century. The image is rendered through etching and engraving, a printmaking process that involves painstakingly incising lines into a metal plate. Notice how Picart’s controlled hand coaxes fine details from the material. Look at the patterned pavement under the men’s feet, and the precise hatching that defines the dark sky. The print is one of a set illustrating Nicholas Boileau's satirical poem "Le Lutrin." The poem gently mocks the trivial disputes within the Church. Prints like these were a vital means of disseminating ideas in the Enlightenment era. They were relatively inexpensive, and easily reproduced, and served as a powerful tool for social commentary. So while this image may seem traditional, it was in its own time a cutting-edge form of mass communication.