Landscape with Boat, 1st plate (Le paysage au bateau) 

This is 'Landscape with Boat', an etching made by Alphonse Legros in the late 19th century. The etching process begins with a metal plate, usually copper or zinc. The artist covers the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then draws their design into the ground with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating the recessed image. Ink is applied to the plate, filling the etched lines, and the surface is wiped clean. Finally, the plate is pressed onto paper, transferring the ink and creating the print. Notice how this intaglio process creates a quality of line that is quite different from a drawing. The etched line has a crispness and a depth, almost like a tiny furrow in the paper. Also think about how this print would have been one of many, and sold at a relatively accessible price. Though Legros was a highly skilled artist, he was also participating in a market for images that was very much shaped by capitalism and new modes of production. We can appreciate the care and precision of Legros's craft, while also recognizing the broader social and economic context in which it was made.