Twee voorstellingen uit Der kleiner Cäsar 1782

These two scenes from “Der kleiner Cäsar” were made by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki using etching, a printmaking process reliant on acid to cut lines into a metal plate. In etching, the amount of time the plate is exposed to the acid determines the depth and darkness of the lines, and the overall tonal range. Chodowiecki would have carefully controlled these variables, using them to create these contrasting scenes. Notice the contrast between the social world and the private one; the interior of the room versus the exterior of the bed. Prints like these, often sold in unbound sets, were a perfect vehicle for social satire in the Enlightenment. And because prints are relatively cheap to make, it meant that biting commentary could reach a wide audience. They represent an early form of mass media, and a growing awareness of how images shape public opinion.