The Butcher-Woman, from Arts et Métiers 1838

This print, titled 'The Butcher-Woman', was made by Bernard Gaillot using etching and engraving. These printing processes would have involved covering a metal plate with a waxy, protective layer. The artist would then draw through this layer to expose the metal, which was then bitten by acid. Notice how this combination of processes gives a very linear quality to the image, while also allowing for a range of tones to describe the hat, dress, and joints of meat that make up this figure. These materials are imbued with meaning through their manipulation, and the figure is both comical and grotesque. The print comes from a series called 'Arts et Métiers', meaning 'Arts and Crafts'. But these are not 'arts' in the high art sense. Instead, they evoke manual labor. This work invites us to think about the gendered division of labor, and the amount of labor required to bring food to our tables.