Prospekt af København set fra Christianshavn 1747

This print, *Prospekt af København set fra Christianshavn*, was made around the mid-18th century by Bartholomæus Roque, using etching on paper. The relatively modest scale of this print, along with the incised line-work, speaks to its mode of production. Etching involves coating a metal plate with wax, drawing through it to expose the metal, and then bathing the plate in acid. This bites away the exposed lines, which are then inked and printed. The resulting image shows the city of Copenhagen from across the water, with figures fishing and boating in the foreground. Its material qualities – the fineness of the lines, the tonal range achieved through hatching – all derive from the artist's skill. Yet the print is also a product of its time. It was made using a mechanizable process allowing for many identical prints to be produced, and depicts a bustling, industrious city in the midst of change. The image's significance, then, lies not only in Roque’s artistry, but in understanding its place in the broader history of printmaking, labor, and the rise of the modern city.