Edouard Manet's etching "The Spanish Singer" (Le chanteur espagnole) resembles his oil on canvas painting of the same subject, exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1861 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). The print was initially published as part of a portfolio of eight etchings issued by publisher Alfred Cadart in 1862. Several of the prints in this portfolio corresponded with subjects Manet had also depicted in paint, while others were entirely independent compositions. To call this etching a reproduction of the corresponding painting would undermine Manet’s commitment to print, particularly etching, as a distinct creative technique. Although relatively new to print at the time he made "The Spanish Singer," Manet worked with the expert printer Auguste Delâtre to execute this etching with incredible skill. In the resulting impressions, etched lines create not only contour but also atmosphere and shadow. Lines delineate where the figure’s legs meet the bench, for example, yet vertical marks in the background make palpable the surrounding, empty space. Hatch marks create tone in various areas across the composition. Aquatint—another printmaking technique—also creates tone and texture, particularly in the figure’s velvety coat and in the jug at lower left.