Man met wandelstok en lantaarn in maanlicht 1809

This is an etching by Bernard Eugène Antoine Rottiers, depicting a man with a walking stick and lantern in moonlight. The print's moody atmosphere results from the etched lines, which create deep blacks and subtle gradations of tone. Etching involves coating a metal plate with a waxy ground, then drawing through it with a needle. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating lines that hold ink. This process allows for fine detail and tonal variation, essential for capturing the scene’s nocturnal ambiance. Rottiers' technique and the printmaking tradition more generally were crucial for disseminating images widely. Such prints catered to a growing market for art among the middle classes, as well as providing visual material for scientific and educational purposes. The labor-intensive process contrasts with the mass production it enabled, revealing tensions between craft and commerce in the 19th century. Considering the materials and processes behind this image reveals how deeply it is embedded in a specific moment of social and technological change.