La Fleur kust de handen van de dames 1783

This engraving, "La Fleur kust de handen van de dames," was made by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki, using a metal plate, likely copper. Look closely, and you'll notice that Chodowiecki's image is all about process. The delicate network of lines that build up the scene, and describe the characters, reveals an intense amount of labor. Engraving is painstaking work; each line incised with a burin, and printed one impression at a time. The subject of the print is revealing too. A crowd has gathered to receive flowers – objects of natural beauty, now made available for consumption. The engraver, like the florist, gives us access to something precious, but in a way that is repeatable, accessible, and part of a commercial exchange. Ultimately, this work makes us consider the value of labor, and the dynamics of its circulation. It invites us to see prints not just as images, but as products, embedded in a web of social and economic relationships.