Mme. Kemp, 4th plate 

Curator: This is Alphonse Legros' "Mme. Kemp, 4th plate," a delicate etching and engraving. Editor: It strikes me as intensely personal, yet somehow distanced. The subject's expression is rather stoic. The fine, almost frantic lines of the etching create a mood that wavers between respect and perhaps… melancholy? Curator: Absolutely. Legros, deeply involved in the etching revival movement in the 19th century, uses this printmaking technique to portray Mme. Kemp within a certain social milieu. We see here the rising middle class and their aspirations of status captured in portraiture. Consider the democratization of art through printmaking! Editor: And let's not forget the process. Look closely. You can practically feel the pressure of the etcher's needle biting into the metal plate. The layering of lines to achieve tone—it speaks to the labor involved in creating the image and how it can affect the perception of realism and character within a portrait. The subtle gradations are fantastic! Curator: Precisely. Etchings allowed artists to circulate their work more widely, democratizing access to art and imagery, and solidifying certain aesthetic and cultural norms. "Mme. Kemp" and her likeness would be easily duplicated, distributed, bought and collected. Editor: You see the rise of the middle class reflected, I see also the working etcher and the economy between artist and collector, or artist and muse. It brings up important questions about art's commodification at the turn of the century. Even down to the quality of the paper itself, that decision mattered in relation to presentation and perceived value! Curator: Well, that gives us something to think about—the politics and class associations surrounding portraiture at that time! Editor: Indeed, it's all interwoven; production and person, artist and plate!