Overstroming bij de Kerkstraat, Steen Beer en Dok te Vlissingen, 1808 1808

Izaak Jansz. de Wit made this print of the Overstroming bij de Kerkstraat in Vlissingen in 1808. It is an etching, a printmaking process involving biting lines into a metal plate with acid, inking the plate, and then using a press to transfer the image onto paper. If you look closely, the artist's labor is clearly visible, as the print's stark lines and tonal variations show the amount of work and precision it took to create the plate. Etchings like this were relatively inexpensive, and their proliferation coincided with the emergence of a wider middle class. They offer insight into the material culture of the time. Beyond its aesthetic qualities, the print also presents a moment in time. You can see the impact of the natural disaster. These kinds of images helped to make the news more vivid and immediate to a public hungry for information. Considering the materials and the making of this print reminds us to consider these artworks as material objects deeply embedded in their social and economic context.