Plan van het beleg van Lille, 1708 1708

This anonymous print depicts the siege of Lille in 1708. The image was produced using etching, a printmaking technique that depends on the corrosive properties of acid. The design would have been drawn with a needle through a wax ground applied to a copper plate, then immersed in acid, which bites away the exposed lines. The resulting incised plate is then inked and printed – a process that can be repeated hundreds of times. This print is hand-colored, likely by an unskilled laborer. The relatively low cost of production meant that images like this could be widely disseminated, playing an important role in shaping public opinion. The image testifies to the emergence of a modern visual culture, inextricably linked to the rise of industry and military conflict. Consider how the print medium allowed for a detailed record of military strategy, transforming the physical act of siege into a commodity to be consumed and contemplated, albeit from a distance, by the public. This reminds us that even seemingly straightforward images are deeply embedded in social and economic conditions.