The Hurdy-Gurdy Player 1822

This print by Louis Léopold Boilly was made using engraving, a process by which lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and used to produce multiple impressions on paper. The fine lines are especially well suited to capturing the textures of the figures’ clothing and the details of the hurdy-gurdy itself. The process also gives the image a certain coolness, as the ink sits slightly proud of the paper, catching the light. The image depicts two street performers, a woman playing the hurdy-gurdy and a younger girl carrying a box, perhaps for collecting money. The hurdy-gurdy itself is a complex instrument, requiring skilled craftsmanship to produce its distinctive drone. Yet here, it is presented as a tool of labor, a means of earning a meager living on the streets. Boilly’s print prompts us to consider the social context of artistic production, and the ways in which craft skills can be both a source of cultural richness and a means of survival.