Saint Lo c. 1825

David Roberts made this watercolor, 'Saint Lo', using paper and pigments. These are of course traditional materials for a painter, and we might be tempted to simply appreciate the artist’s delicate touch. But look more closely, and you’ll notice how thin the wash is in places, almost translucent. This wasn’t just about achieving a light effect. Paper and pigments were valuable commodities, and artists needed to be economical. Also, think about the kind of labor that Roberts would have depended on. Everything from the preparation of the paper to the grinding of the pigments involved specialized skills. Even the artist's technique is a kind of labor: The deft handling of the brush, the rapid notation of architectural detail, all speak to Roberts’s own careful work and training. By considering these factors, we come to understand ‘Saint Lo’ not just as a pretty picture, but as a document of its time, reflecting the economics of artistic production in 19th-century Europe.