Interieur van de Schouwburg op het Leidseplein, vanaf het toneel gezien 1775

Noach van der Meer II created this print of the interior of the Amsterdam Theatre using etching, a demanding intaglio process. The artist would have coated a metal plate with wax, drawn the image through it with a sharp needle, and then bathed the plate in acid. This would bite away the exposed lines, which could then be filled with ink and printed. The process allows for a high level of detail, as you can see in the depiction of the theater's architecture and the audience members. Consider how this print was itself a form of mass media. It made the theater accessible to a wider audience who may not have been able to attend performances in person. The print also serves as a record of the theater's design and social function, capturing a specific moment in time when theater-going was an important part of Amsterdam's cultural life. This work challenges our assumptions about art by revealing the tight links between making, representation, and the social context of its production.