Printer's Devil 1895

Francis Scott King created "Printer's Devil," an etching, sometime around 1884. The image presents an intriguing exploration of the printing profession's folklore, steeped in the social and cultural history of print media. This detailed print draws upon the traditional figure of the "printer's devil," a young apprentice often covered in ink and tasked with menial jobs. King complicates this image by depicting the devil as both monstrous and integral to the printing process. The etching suggests that the printing trade is not just a profession but a space of transformation, where the raw and chaotic becomes ordered and meaningful. The figure of the apprentice, standing at the crossroads of labor and learning, embodies the complexities of identity formation within the print world. The artwork may remind us of how professions shape individuals and communities, while also challenging the viewer to consider the labor and lore behind the printed word.