Kaartspelers 1777

Cornelis Brouwer made this print, “Kaartspelers” – or "Card Players" – sometime in the late 1700s. It’s an etching, a printmaking process that involves biting lines into a metal plate with acid, inking the plate, and then using a press to transfer the image to paper. Look closely, and you'll see the incredible fineness of the lines, and how they create a sense of light and shadow. This wasn’t just a matter of craft skill. Printmaking was a key technology for disseminating images in early modern Europe. It allowed for the mass production of art, making it more accessible, even as it required skillful labor. Brouwer uses the medium of etching to capture a scene of everyday life, with its own kind of ‘labor’ at play. Through this print, the world of leisure and social interaction is tied back to the wider systems of production and consumption that shaped the era. In this way, Brouwer’s print sits at the intersection of art, craft, and social history.