Omslag voor: Teekeningen door J. van Lexmond before 1833

This is a title page for a book of drawings by Johannes van Lexmond, printed in Dortrecht, the Netherlands. The crisp black lettering on the light paper is typical of intaglio printing – likely etching or engraving. An etcher carefully applies a waxy ground to a copper plate, then draws an image with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. Immersed in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away. This painstaking process is repeated to deepen the lines, then ink is forced into them, and the plate is pressed to paper. Consider how the act of pulling each print represents a direct connection between the maker and the material. The quality of the impression depends on the etcher’s skill, the press operator’s expertise, and the paper quality. Even with these techniques, the publisher needed to commission this print from a skilled craftsman, an investment in the value of this book of drawings. Thinking about this artwork through its materials and processes allows us to consider it in the wider context of labor, skill, and value.