Claire probeert Julie en Saint-Preux te scheiden 1808

Jacques Louis Copia made this print, “Claire probeert Julie en Saint-Preux te scheiden” – or, “Claire Tries to Separate Julie and Saint-Preux” – toward the end of the 18th century. Prints like this were made using a technique called etching, an indirect process that gave artists a great freedom of expression. A metal plate would be covered with a waxy ground, and then lines drawn through it with a needle. The plate would then be immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal. Once the ground is removed, the plate is inked and wiped, leaving ink only in the etched lines. This is then transferred to paper under high pressure. Copia was a master of this exacting process, and the evenness of the lines and tone across this print is testament to his skill. The technique was perfectly suited to capturing the drama of the scene from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s popular epistolary novel, Julie, or the New Heloise. As with any print, this would have been made in multiples, democratizing access to imagery and helping to spread the cult of celebrity that grew up around Rousseau and his romantic heroes. Even in Copia’s time, this was popular culture!