Gezicht op de Kleine Houtpoort te Haarlem, 1619 1727 - 1733

This print, *Gezicht op de Kleine Houtpoort te Haarlem*, was created in 1619 by Abraham Rademaker. Rademaker made the image using etching, a printmaking technique that uses acid to cut into a metal plate, in this case likely copper. Look closely, and you’ll see that the dense lines are not uniform. They have a slight wobble, the trace of the artist’s hand. The linear quality of the etching process lends itself well to architectural studies like this. Notice how Rademaker renders the facade of the Houtpoort, the “wooden gate,” with great detail. He must have first made a meticulous drawing, and then translated it to the printing plate. This would have been painstaking work, requiring deep knowledge of both the subject and the medium. Yet the print also bears witness to a changing world. It could be reproduced relatively easily and disseminated widely, a perfect medium for the burgeoning era of global trade and accelerating consumption. Recognizing the labor embedded in this small, unassuming print helps us appreciate it all the more.