Jacksonville c. 19th century

Curator: Here we have "Jacksonville," a print made with etching by Stephen Parrish, dating back to the 19th century. It's a subtle piece, easy to miss at first glance. Editor: I am struck by its quiet simplicity. The hazy landscape whispers more than it shouts, wouldn't you agree? It makes me think of early morning mists hanging low over the water. Curator: Precisely. Now, looking at this etching closely, it is worth considering the work of printing at this period. Each line carefully etched into the metal plate. The amount of manual work that was required here feels like an act of preservation as much as of creation. Editor: True. It’s amazing how Parrish used such precise labour to create an almost ephemeral feel. Like, you said, holding onto a moment that is disappearing. Do you think he deliberately softens the landscape? I find the buildings almost blending into the trees around them. Curator: He is absolutely inviting us to lose the solid forms, isn’t he? Landscape prints such as this were highly consumable images, circulating widely and building narratives around notions of place. Editor: Right, "Jacksonville" as a place, a concept, available for anyone to own in a relatively accessible format, a far cry from, say, a unique oil painting that would only have ever sat in a private collection. In other words, what do we consume when we consume this image? A sense of America, or simply the ability to contemplate, cheaply? Curator: Perhaps both at the same time! Now that’s an etching worthy of consideration. Editor: Yes, it really feels like we're scratching beneath the surface of this seemingly simple landscape!