Nachtgezicht met Paulus en Virginia 1751 - 1816

This print, Nachtgezicht met Paulus en Virginia, was made by Reinier Vinkeles sometime before 1816. It's an engraving, meaning the image was incised into a metal plate, inked, and then pressed onto paper. Look closely, and you’ll see the artist has created an incredibly fine mesh of lines to generate tone and shadow. The quality of the print depends not only on Vinkeles's skill as a draughtsman, but also on his mastery of the engraver's tools. You can imagine him working intently at his bench, using specialized burins and scrapers to control every mark. Engravings like this one were relatively labor-intensive and were a way of disseminating imagery widely – precursors to photography in a sense. The print medium itself is the message; a means of multiplying images for a growing, consuming public. Appreciating the craft involved allows us to see this print not just as a pretty picture, but as a product of its time.