Jule- og nytårskort 1935

Axel Hou created this Christmas and New Year's card, printed on paper, using etching. Etching has a long history, predating photography as the primary means of mass-producing imagery. Here, the image is built from a network of tiny lines; these were incised into a metal plate, which would then be inked and printed. It's a laborious, skilled process, demanding precision and control. The technique would have been very familiar to people at the time, though perhaps more commonly seen in printed advertisements than in personal cards like this one. Hou’s choice of etching, over other methods of printing, is striking. It suggests an interest in slowing down, taking time to hand-craft something special for his friends. The result is a memento not just of the holiday season, but of the value of skilled work in an increasingly industrial world. So next time you pick up a mass-produced holiday card, remember the care and attention that artists like Axel Hou once brought to this simple act of communication.