Sjees met een kwakzalver, 1835 1835

Leendert Springer created this print titled 'Sjees met een kwakzalver' in 1835. The work is an etching, a printmaking technique relying on the corrosive effects of acid on a metal plate. The incised lines hold ink, transferring the image to paper through a press. Springer's choice of etching is significant. It was a popular, relatively inexpensive method for mass-producing images, making art accessible to a broader audience. This aligns with the print’s subject matter, which depicts a quack doctor, a figure preying on the desperation of ordinary people. The scene shows the doctor’s charlatanry: assistants restrain a patient while the doctor, perched on his cart, hawks useless remedies. The detailed lines of the etching, while delicate, capture the grim reality of the scene. The emphasis on line reflects the printmaking process, highlighting the labor involved in creating multiple impressions. In considering the image, we might reflect on the social context of 19th-century medicine, class disparities, and the economic drivers behind deceptive practices, all made visible through the lines of this etched plate.