The Blacksmith

Joseph Wright of Derby's fame as a painter was enhanced by prints based on his compositions since works on paper, being relatively cheap and widely available, could reach a much larger audience than his oils. Filled with dramatic light effects, Wright's paintings were ideally suited for reproduction in mezzotint. With its velvety texture and subtle tonal variations ranging from rich blacks to delicate shades of gray, mezzotint was the printmaking technique closest to oil painting. Experts like Earlom or William Pether were skilled at transposing paintings into mezzotint while exploiting the unique characteristics of this medium.