The Woman and the Tambourine (after drawing by Joseph Mallord William Turner)

Technically speaking, J.M.W. Turner’s Liber Studiorum is not a collection of reproductive prints. Although made after drawings by Turner, the images were always intended as prints, with the drawings serving a preparatory role. Furthermore, Turner himself had a hand in the printmaking process, for the most part etching the defining lines of the composition and relying on skilled printmakers for the remainder, especially the aquatint and mezzotint that provided the shade and subtleties of tone. Although Turner hired expert engravers, he remained intensely involved, supervising proofs and requesting constant revisions. For that reason, there is little discernible difference in the techniques of his engravers, despite the adaptability of the mezzotint rocker.