Townsend's Rocky Mountain Hare 1842

John James Audubon made this print of "Townsend's Rocky Mountain Hare" using a combination of etching, aquatint, and hand coloring. These processes, all essentially printmaking techniques, allowed for multiple impressions to be made – a necessity, given Audubon’s ambition to document American wildlife. Notice the incredible detail, particularly in the hares' fur. This wasn't achieved through a single stroke, but built up layer by layer, using acid to ‘bite’ into the metal plate, each pass creating deeper lines and textures. The aquatint gives the image subtle tonal variations. Then, each print was individually hand-colored, adding a personal touch to what was otherwise a mechanical process. The print's significance lies in its blend of scientific documentation and artistic expression. The labor-intensive production mirrors the broader 19th-century context of industrialization, where handcraft and mass production were increasingly intertwined. Audubon's work reminds us that even seemingly objective depictions are imbued with the maker's hand and the social conditions of their creation.