Herder en herderin waden door een beek 1826

This is an etching by Frederik Cornelis Rose, made in the 19th century, showing a pastoral scene. It’s a print, meaning that the image was incised into a metal plate, inked, and then run through a press, transferring the design onto paper. The appeal of prints, from an art historical point of view, is that they democratize images. They are more affordable, and more portable, than unique works like paintings or sculptures. In this case, Rose is using the technique to depict labor: a man and woman are shown wading through a stream with their animals. It’s a timeless scene, yet the very means of its production speaks to a rising industrialism, and a middle class eager to consume images of pre-industrial life. The etching technique itself, with its reliance on skilled handwork and mechanical reproduction, embodies a tension between craft and industry. This reminds us that all images – even those that seem to show us something “natural” – are in fact made.