Jongeman op kanon aan boord van een schip 1830 - 1880

Adolphe Mouilleron made this print depicting a young man on a cannon aboard a ship, using a technique called etching. The material of the metal plate used to create this print is crucial to understanding its aesthetic. Etching involves coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance. The artist then scratches an image into this coating, exposing the metal underneath. When the plate is submerged in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. The plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Finally, paper is pressed against the plate, transferring the image. The quality of the etched line gives the image its character. Look closely, and you can see the precision and delicacy Mouilleron achieved. In its time, etching was a relatively democratic medium, as compared to painting, making images widely accessible and contributing to a growing visual culture tied to consumerism and popular taste. By attending to the nuances of its making, we can appreciate this print not just as a picture, but as a product of specific technical processes and social conditions.