A Lock on the Stour 1830

This print, "A Lock on the Stour," was made by David Lucas in the 19th century, using a process called mezzotint. It’s a labor-intensive technique, requiring the plate to be roughened evenly with a tool called a rocker, then smoothed in areas to create an image from light to dark. Notice the velvety blacks and subtle gradations of tone. These are characteristic of mezzotint. Lucas was a master of this demanding process, which was often used to reproduce paintings. In this case, the image translates a bucolic scene of the English countryside. Consider the sheer work involved in this printmaking method, a contrast to our present era of digital reproduction. Lucas’s artistry draws our attention to the value of careful craft, and to the social context of image-making in an age before photography dominated. It reminds us that every image has a material history, connecting the artist, his tools, and the world he represented.