A Summerland 1829

David Lucas made this mezzotint, A Summerland, sometime in the 19th century. Mezzotint is an intaglio printmaking process, meaning the image is incised into a metal plate. The whole plate is roughened, then selectively burnished to create the image. The velvety blacks and soft gradations of tone in the print are characteristic of the mezzotint. This technique allowed Lucas to capture the subtle atmospheric effects of light and shadow, particularly evident in the dramatic sky. But let's consider the labor involved, from the initial preparation of the plate to the final print. There's a real contrast at play here, between the subject – a rural idyll – and the highly industrialized process used to make the image. Mezzotint emerged in the 17th century, and by the 19th, it was a well-established commercial technique. By understanding the materials, making, and context, we see how printmaking complicates traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.