Gezicht op de Rietdijkspoort te Dordrecht 1786 - 1792

This print of the Rietdijkspoort in Dordrecht was created by Carel Frederik Bendorp in the 18th century. It’s an etching, meaning the artist would have coated a metal plate with wax, drawn an image into the wax with a sharp needle-like tool, and then bathed the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed metal, creating incised lines that hold ink, and then transferred to paper through a press. The material qualities of the print – its fineness, its black-and-white contrast, its reproducibility – are key to its social function. Prints like this helped to disseminate images widely and relatively cheaply, creating a shared visual culture. The careful labour involved speaks to the cultural value placed on precision and detail. The image of the Rietdijkspoort itself reflects the concerns of the Dutch at the time, with its emphasis on infrastructure and trade. The scene isn’t only picturesque, but shows the infrastructure of this port city, dependent on both human labor and natural resources. The making of the print, and the scene it depicts, highlight the relationship between labor, materials, and the social life of the city.