Jonge vrouw bekijkt haar spiegelbeeld 1857

This print, "Jonge vrouw bekijkt haar spiegelbeeld", or "Young woman looks at her reflection", was made by Dirk Jurriaan Sluyter. He worked with a technique called etching, using acid to cut lines into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. Consider the labor that went into this image. It is not just a design, but a physical artifact born of a skilled process. The etcher would have needed to be proficient in metallurgy, chemistry, and drawing. The lines created by the etching capture the textures of the woman's dress, the fur trim on her jacket, and the ornate frame of the mirror. These details speak to the material culture of the time, and to the labor involved in producing clothing, furniture, and decorative objects. Thinking about art in terms of materials, processes, and social context allows us to see how deeply embedded it is in the world around us, and helps us question traditional distinctions between art, craft and industry.