Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, printmaker

This landscape was made by drawing onto glass plates placed over photosensitive paper. When the plate is complete, it was exposed to sunlight, allowing marks on the glass to slowly print onto the sheet.

Daubigny and Corot both often worked outdoors, sketching directly from nature. While Corot drew with an etching needle, using sketchy lines that translated directly to his print, Daubigny held his plate over a candle, creating a layer of soot that he could etch into or wipe. This technique allowed him to work from dark to light in loose, painterly marks.