Vegetable Sheet 1800 - 1828

Carl Wilhelm Kolbe created this "Vegetable Sheet" etching sometime between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During this period, the graphic arts played a crucial role in disseminating knowledge about the natural world and agriculture was an important part of Prussia's economy. The print captures a close-up view of oversized rhubarb leaves with such detail that they appear almost sculptural. The naturalism of the image is consistent with the scientific interests of the period, in which systems of classification and observation became ways to demonstrate control over nature. The absence of people in the image underscores the notion of nature as a resource, separate from human society. To fully understand this print, a historian might look into the scientific literature of the period, the history of botanical illustration, and the economic history of Prussia. The meaning of an artwork is contingent on its historical and institutional context.