Jonge mannen en vrouwen dansen in een cirkel 1787 - 1789

John Keyse Sherwin made this engraving, "Young Men and Women Dancing in a Circle," toward the end of the 18th century. The image has been created by incising lines into a metal plate, inking the surface, and then pressing paper to receive the image. Sherwin was a master of this reproductive technique, which allowed images to be circulated widely at a time when the printing press was becoming a powerful force in society. Look closely, and you can see how the hand of the engraver has described the scene, translating figures, trees, and architecture into a complex pattern of marks. The labor involved in this painstaking process is considerable; it could take days, even weeks, to complete a single plate. The result is not exactly a unique work of art, but it testifies to the engraver's skill and also the growing importance of the graphic arts in bridging the gap between the fine arts and everyday life. Engravings like this were central to the democratization of culture, making art accessible to a broader public.