Den kloge (La Prude) 1770

Louise Gaillard made this print, "Den kloge (La Prude)", using etching, a printmaking technique with a long history. The material of the print itself, paper, is key to understanding the artwork. Paper is relatively cheap to produce, allowing for the broad distribution of images, ideas, and even fashion. But the real magic of this piece lies in the etched lines. The artist would have coated a metal plate with wax, drawn into it with a sharp needle, and then bathed the plate in acid. The acid bites into the metal where the wax has been removed, creating the lines that hold ink. Consider all the labor that would have been involved in the production of the clothing worn by the woman. How many seamstresses, weavers, dyers, lacemakers, were needed to produce all the lace, frills, and ruffles of her garments. It is a testimony to the labor that was needed to create this image. The relatively low cost of the print contrasts sharply with the conspicuous consumption it depicts. Gaillard's choice of printmaking implicates the rising middle class in this economy of appearances. It is the engine of capitalism itself.