Gezicht op Greenwich Hospital 1841 - 1885

This print depicts Greenwich Hospital, but more than that, it embodies the mechanization of image production. It was made anonymously using etching, a process where lines are incised into a metal plate with acid, then inked and printed. What's interesting here is the industrialization inherent in this method. Unlike a unique drawing, etchings can be reproduced in large numbers, making images widely accessible. Consider the social implications. Greenwich Hospital, prominently featured, offered refuge to retired sailors – those who served England through maritime labor. The print, in turn, serves as a record of both place and the labor force connected to that place, through trade. Its distribution speaks to a burgeoning market for images, accessible to a wider public than ever before, reflective of shifting economies and evolving visual culture. It democratizes art, though always mediated by the labour involved in the production of both image and seafaring trade.