The Benjaminites Take the Virgins of Jabesh gilead 

This print by Gustave Doré illustrates a dramatic scene from the Book of Judges. It was made using the technique of wood engraving, a painstaking method of carving an image into the end grain of a block of wood, from which multiple impressions could then be printed. Consider the sheer amount of labour invested in this method; every line, every shadow, carefully chiseled by hand. Look closely, and you can see the dense web of marks that create the scene's texture and depth. The stark contrast between black and white gives the image a powerful, graphic quality, heightening the emotional intensity of the subject. Wood engraving was particularly well-suited to book illustration and mass production in the 19th century. It allowed artists to disseminate their work widely, reaching a broad audience hungry for visual narratives. In this print, Doré uses the medium's inherent qualities to emphasize the raw energy and violence of the biblical story, reminding us of the social and economic forces at play in the creation and consumption of images during this period.