En tyrkisk pilgrim 1773 - 1774

This print of a Turkish Pilgrim was made by J.F. Clemens using engraving, a process involving carving lines into a metal plate. The lines are then filled with ink, and the image transferred to paper under great pressure. Engraving was once a key method of mass production, used to disseminate images and information widely. Look closely and you’ll notice the extraordinary fineness of the lines, each one carefully incised. Think of the labor that this required, and the skill needed to represent the figure and drapery so convincingly. The print reverses the tones of the original drawing, which brings a unique graphic quality. The social context is also key; the print served not only as a work of art, but as a means of circulating knowledge about other cultures, and visualising the exotic ‘other’. Considering this image, it is a reminder that the techniques of making are never neutral; they are always embedded in a web of social and cultural meaning.