Illustrationer til "Billedbog for børn. Tegnet af Otto Haslund og Pietro Krohn med Vers af J. Krohn" 1871

This is a page of illustrations, preparatory to a children’s book, made by Harald Jensen. The drawings are rendered using an industrial printing process called etching. The artist would have coated a metal plate with wax, drawn into it with a sharp needle to expose the metal, and then bathed the plate in acid. This bites away the lines, allowing the plate to be inked and printed. The linear quality of etching is well-suited to the book illustration. We can also appreciate the social context of these images. They depict idealized scenes of Danish life, from fishermen hauling their boats ashore, to villagers gossiping. While these are images designed for children, the process of etching itself reflects the industrialized society in which they were made. The etcher, like a factory worker, contributes to a larger process of production and distribution. This work blurs the lines between fine art and craft, reminding us that all art is made through specific materials, processes, and social contexts.