Visitekaartje van drukkers Auguste en Eugène Delâtre te Parijs c. 1872 - 1907

Richard Ranft made this calling card for the Parisian printers Auguste and Eugène Delâtre using a printmaking technique known as etching. The image foregrounds the labor involved in the printing process. We see a woman in a voluminous dress, perhaps referencing contemporary fashion, exerting force on the lever of the printing press. The mass and weight of the machine is evident in Ranft’s delicate lines, contrasting with the woman’s elegant attire and coiffure. Printmaking has always been a process-intensive medium, requiring skill and physical effort. The Delâtre’s business card, and the woman laboring at the machine, reminds us that the production of art and design involves real work, and that even in seemingly effortless images, there’s a history of craft, tools, and techniques. This challenges our traditional notions of what constitutes "fine art" versus "craft," prompting us to consider the social and economic context in which art is made.