Frederik V's indtog i Vejle 1749

This print, Frederik V's arrival in Vejle, was made by Poul Isac Grønvold, sometime in the 18th century. It’s an etching, meaning that the artist would have used a sharp needle to draw into a wax-coated metal plate, then bathed the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed metal, creating incised lines that hold ink. Think about the labor involved in making this image. It’s painstaking work to create a detailed image in this way. The lines are very fine, and the composition is complex. The printmaking process allowed multiple impressions to be made from the original plate, meaning this image could be circulated widely. The print medium itself is crucial here. By using this technique, Grønvold made it possible for a relatively affordable image to reach a wide audience, disseminating a particular view of the King's arrival and solidifying his authority. This was a very different proposition than an oil painting, which would have been available only to a very few. So even in its own time, this artwork blurred the lines between craft and fine art, and between the elite and the everyday.