Vrouw met een kat 1834 - 1879

Hendrik Jacobus Scholten made this etching, titled "Woman with a Cat," using metal, acid, and ink. The image is small, almost intimate, and rendered entirely through a network of fine lines. Etching involves coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant layer. The artist then scratches an image into this layer, exposing the metal beneath. When the plate is submerged in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling these grooves, and the surface is wiped clean. Finally, the plate is pressed onto paper, transferring the inked image. This printmaking process allowed for the relatively quick reproduction of images, making art more accessible. It was a distinctly modern technique suited to an industrializing world. Consider the labor involved: from the mining of the metal, to its processing, to the skilled hand of the artist. Finally, observe the scene depicted: a woman, perhaps elderly, at her domestic threshold. Through this work, Scholten asks us to consider the intimate connection between labor, material, and everyday life.