Sleeping Infant
1850
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1850
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This print shows a baby asleep on its back, one tiny hand resting near its face. Soft light wraps around the folds of its gown and the blanket beneath it. Every shadow and highlight feels real, like you could reach out and touch the cloth. Mezzotint makes this possible. The artist pits and burnishes the metal plate to create those velvety blacks and glowing whites in one plate, not layers. Only a few printers could pull such smooth gradations in the 1800s. If you like how light shapes quiet scenes, look up British 19th Century.
