Zeilschepen, een roeiboot en een stoomschip op een rivier 1880 - 1913

Henri Seghers made this etching, ‘Zeilschepen, een roeiboot en een stoomschip op een rivier,’ using metal, acid, and ink, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The etching technique itself is important to consider. The artist would have applied a waxy coating to a metal plate, drawn through it with a needle to expose the metal, then bathed the plate in acid. This would bite into the metal wherever it was exposed, leaving an impression. Ink is then applied to the plate and then wiped away, remaining only in the etched lines, before being printed onto paper. The etching is incredibly detailed, and it really shows off the texture and atmosphere of the river. But it also represents a moment of transition, with old sailboats meeting the new technology of steamships, reflecting the industrial revolution and its impact on labour and trade. Paying attention to these materials and processes gives us a better understanding of the context and meaning of the artwork.