Reproductie van een tekening van een haas die banjo speelt before 1898

This reproduction of a drawing of a banjo-playing hare was made by the Swan Electric Engraving Company. Though we don't know the precise date, we can be confident it was made using industrial techniques. The work's appearance is defined by a clear contrast between light and shadow. This comes from the process of engraving, where an image is etched onto a metal plate, and then printed. This process allows for reproducibility, so that identical images can be made over and over again. This possibility reflects wider shifts in labor, politics and consumption. The drawing's original meaning is now intertwined with its status as a reproduced image, accessible to a broader public through mass-production. Paying attention to the materials and methods of its making helps us appreciate the cultural significance of this image, and the context in which it was produced. It challenges our traditional understanding of art, inviting us to consider the social and economic forces behind its creation and distribution.