Portrait of Thomas Bailey Aldrich c. 19th century

This is William B. Closson’s ‘Portrait of Thomas Bailey Aldrich,’ and its delicate lines were achieved with wood engraving, a technique that sits interestingly between printmaking and sculpture. Instead of carving with the grain as in traditional woodcut, here the artist used the end grain of the woodblock, allowing for much finer detail. Closson would have used specialized tools like burins and gravers to meticulously incise lines into the block. The density of these lines creates the tonal variations we see in the portrait, from the dark suit to the subtle gradations of Aldrich's face. This process, requiring immense skill and patience, speaks to the value placed on craftsmanship. Wood engraving like this was often used for commercial illustrations because it could be mass-produced, connecting it to the world of labor and consumption. So, next time you encounter an image like this, think about the handwork involved and how it bridges the worlds of fine art, craft, and industry.