Portret van Sir Frank Brangwyn met pijp 1921

This is a print of Sir Frank Brangwyn with pipe by Ernest Stephen Lumsden. It’s an etching, meaning that the image was incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with acid, and then printed onto paper. Etching is a craft-based medium, requiring meticulous skill and a deep understanding of the materials. The quality of the line, the depth of the bite, and the richness of the tone all depend on the artist’s control over the process. Look closely and you’ll see how Lumsden has used a dense network of lines to model Brangwyn’s face, and how he has created a sense of depth and atmosphere through subtle variations in tone. The medium is intrinsically linked to wider social issues of labour, politics, and consumption. Making prints like these was painstaking work, requiring long hours of skilled labour. Yet, it also offered the possibility of wider distribution and consumption, making art accessible to a broader audience. So next time you look at a print, remember that it’s not just an image, but a record of a process, a testament to the artist’s skill, and a reflection of the social and cultural context in which it was made.