Sophia
1809
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Plate: 3 13/16 × 5 5/16 in. (9.7 × 13.5 cm) Sheet: 6 5/16 × 7 7/8 in. (16 × 20 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.611.111(2)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1809 by British engraver Henry Moses, *Sophia* captures a quiet moment of a woman absorbed in reading while reclining on a couch. Rendered through the delicate techniques of etching and engraving, the small-scale print invites close viewing, with fine lines and subtle tonal contrasts that bring texture to fabrics and furnishings. The intimate subject reflects the early nineteenth-century interest in everyday domestic scenes, where reading was increasingly celebrated as a marker of refinement and personal reflection. Prints such as this one played a vital role in disseminating image...