Gezicht op de St. Cross Church te Winchester before 1868

This is a print of St. Cross Church in Winchester, made by William Savage in the early 19th century. It is a lithograph, which means it was created by drawing on a flat stone with a greasy crayon, then using ink to transfer that image onto paper. Lithography was still a relatively new technology at the time Savage made this print. It allowed for a much more direct way of making images, compared to the labor-intensive process of engraving, but it still required skill. The artist had to understand the chemistry of the materials and use them in a precise way to achieve the desired effect. The soft, tonal qualities of the print are a direct result of the lithographic process. Savage was able to capture a sense of light and atmosphere that would have been difficult to achieve with other printmaking methods. By focusing on the materials and processes used to create this print, we can better appreciate the artist's skill and the historical context in which it was made. It's a reminder that even seemingly simple images can be the result of complex interactions between art, craft, and technology.