Mill near Colchester 1830 - 1855

John Constable made this print, Mill near Colchester, using a technique called mezzotint. It’s an intaglio process, meaning the image is incised into a metal plate. Look closely, and you can see a velvety texture. This comes from the way the plate is prepared, roughened with a tool called a rocker. The artist then works back into this surface, burnishing and scraping to create lighter tones. The resulting print has a tonal depth that’s quite different from a drawing made with pencil or charcoal. It's an indirect process, requiring labor not only in the image itself, but in the preparation of the plate. Constable's choice of subject is telling, too: a mill, a symbol of rural industry. By using this intensive printmaking method, he elevates the scene, asking us to consider the value of both labor and landscape. It’s a far cry from a quick sketch. It invites us to see the English countryside not just as a picturesque view, but as a site of production.