Gezicht op rotsen aan een water c. 1888 - 1893

This photogravure of a rocky landscape was made by Impi Backman, a Finnish artist who lived from 1869 to 1955. The photogravure process, which creates an image from an etched copper plate, was quite popular at the turn of the century, with artists and institutions using the process to make high quality reproductions of artwork and landscapes. Backman's choice of this medium speaks to the growing popularity of photography and reproductive media in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We can read this image in the context of Finnish nationalism, which developed in the late 19th century, with the country gaining independence in 1917. Artists like Backman contributed to this movement by creating idealized images of the Finnish landscape. As historians, we can look at the social and cultural conditions that led to the creation and popularity of landscape imagery. We might consult periodicals and institutional records to learn more about the cultural significance of landscape in Finland at this time.