Visitekaartje van drukker Eugène Delâtre te Parijs c. 1907 - 1938

This is Eugène Delâtre's calling card, a small print etched with an evocative coastal scene. Immediately striking is Delâtre’s use of line and tone to render the rough textures of rocks and the fluid movement of water. The composition is carefully structured: the rugged landscape dominates the lower half, meeting the calm sea and sky in the distance. Delâtre skillfully uses the etching technique to vary the intensity of the lines, creating a subtle interplay of light and shadow. The ruggedness and wildness of nature contrast with the typography at the top, which speaks to his professional identity as a printer in Paris. Delâtre appears to challenge fixed meanings, asking us to consider how art and commerce, nature and urban life, are not separate entities. The landscape, rendered with such tactile quality, is not just a backdrop, but an integral part of the card. It speaks to a broader cultural discourse about the relationship between the natural world and modern identity. The card invites endless interpretation, suggesting that even the most functional objects can be sites of aesthetic and intellectual engagement.