En pige malker en ko 1849

Johannes Wilhelm Zillen made this etching, "En pige malker en ko," the Danish title translating to "A girl milking a cow," sometime in the mid-19th century. Zillen employed the etching technique, using acid to bite into a metal plate, creating lines that would hold ink. The density of these lines determines the image's tonality. Notice the areas of deep shadow, achieved through close hatching. This speaks to the time-intensive nature of the process; each line painstakingly added. Consider the subject matter: a young woman engaged in agricultural labor. The scene is intimate, almost claustrophobic, emphasizing the close proximity between the girl, the cow, and the surrounding barn. The small scale of the print belies the immensity of the work involved in dairy production. Zillen's print reminds us that art doesn't exist in a vacuum, but rather reflects the realities of labor, class, and the everyday. By attending to the details of its making and its subject, we gain a richer understanding of its cultural significance.