Algernon Percy, Earl of Northumberland 1738

Editor: Here we have Jacobus Houbraken's print of Algernon Percy. It looks like an etching, and I’m struck by the elaborate frame and the allegorical figure. What stands out to you? Curator: I see the printmaking process as central. How does the reproducibility of this image, made possible by etching, affect its value and audience compared to a unique painted portrait of the Earl? Editor: That's a good point, it's made for wider distribution and consumption! Thanks, I never thought about it that way.