Portret van Sarah Garay Lyndhurst Possibly 1836 - 1837

This is Samuel Cousins' portrait of Sarah Garay Lyndhurst, a mezzotint. The labor here involves printmaking, a process that creates many identical images, which is different from painting a one-off portrait. A copper plate would have been roughened evenly, using a tool called a rocker. Then, working from dark to light, Cousins would have burnished the image into existence. Smoother areas hold less ink, creating lighter tones. Look at the areas that were burnished to appear smooth, such as her face and hands. With mezzotint, the inherent qualities of the material influence the appearance of the artwork, dictating a gradient appearance that is unique to the process. This was a popular technique in the 19th century for its tonal richness, used to reproduce paintings, which made art more accessible. By focusing on the materials, making and context, we recognize the significance of mezzotint as a medium, and the importance of printmaking in the history of art.