Paris, Notre Dame prise de L'Ile Louvier n.d.

This aquatint, showing Notre Dame from the Ile Louvier, was made by Daniel Havell using etching and aquatint, two printing techniques. Havell was among many artists who depicted the great city of Paris for British audiences eager to learn of French culture and architecture. Aquatint allowed for the creation of subtle tonal gradations, ideal for capturing the light and atmosphere of the Parisian skyline. But look closer, and you see this isn't only about the picturesque. The print also shows the city's economy at work: rafts of logs crowd the river, being managed by figures along the bank. These are the raw materials of construction and industry, brought into the heart of Paris by laborers. The print, therefore, is not just a pretty picture. It testifies to the labor that built the city, and the systems of production that sustained it. By recognizing the labor involved in the depicted scene, we understand how deeply intertwined art is within the social and economic life of the city.