Rue Saint-Lazare, Paris 1897

Camille Pissarro made this print of the Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris using etching, a printmaking technique where a metal plate is coated with wax, the design scratched into it, and then acid-etched to create recessed lines that hold ink. The effect is a network of hatched lines, giving the scene its distinctive texture and atmospheric quality. This etching process, a form of industrial image production, mirrors the mechanized, bustling street scene it depicts. The marks evoke the energy and pace of modern urban life, hinting at the social dynamics within. Printmaking was a key medium for circulating images and ideas, making art more accessible beyond the elite. Pissarro’s choice of this medium, combined with his focus on an everyday subject, democratizes both the making and the viewing of art. The etching embodies the spirit of a rapidly changing society, capturing the pulse of modernity through its very process and its subject.