Assassination of Henry of Germany 

Editor: This is Gustave Dore’s engraving, "Assassination of Henry of Germany." I think it’s intended to capture a specific, dramatic moment in history. The amount of detail Dore crammed into a black and white print is astounding. What catches your eye about it? Curator: Well, I find myself considering the material conditions surrounding the making of this print. Engraving, as a reproducible medium, served a crucial function in disseminating narratives, in this case a rather violent one. Dore’s skill lies not just in the artistic rendering, but in his understanding of how the print medium could democratize access to such historical dramas for wider consumption. Think about the social function, of these kinds of prints— were they just historical illustrations or were they meant to provoke feeling, create solidarity, justify specific positions? Editor: That's a very different perspective than I initially had. So you’re saying that rather than focusing on the "art" part, you are focusing on its production process. It would be as if one could remove Dore from the artistic merit involved and still talk about social reproduction or specific labor practices and social concerns during its era. Curator: Precisely! How the materials—the ink, the paper, the very act of engraving—contributed to the image’s power and its reach. Consider too the labor involved, the artisan's hand, replicating this image. How does that manual labor play into notions of artistry, particularly when juxtaposed against the narrative’s subject, the elite, murdered within the sacred space of the church? Editor: So, it sounds like even an image that looks historical at first can tell us something very concrete about production and consumption back when it was made. Thanks, this new perspective adds new meanings for interpreting this artwork! Curator: Exactly! Thinking about process really highlights the connection between art and society.