Maskerade door studenten van de Leidse Hogeschool, 1840 (plaat 15) 1840

This print, titled "Masquerade by students of the Leiden Hogeschool, plate 15," was made by Jacobus Ludovicus Cornet in 1840. It’s an etching, a printing technique that requires some careful labor. An etching begins with a metal plate, usually copper or zinc, coated in wax. The artist then scratches through the wax to expose the metal. When the plate is dipped in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. The deeper the groove, the more ink it will hold. The plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Finally, paper is pressed against the plate, transferring the ink and creating the image. Etchings allowed for relatively inexpensive distribution of images. You could say it was the Instagram of its day. The technique democratized image-making, enabling the wider dissemination of artistic ideas. So, while this print depicts members of the elite, falconry being a noble sport, it was made by and for a wider public.