Artist Wenceslaus Hollar completed an etching entitled Warships and a Spouting Whale in 1665, reflecting some of his experiences aboard ship. A detail of the full image is shown. Photo by Sydney Collins © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

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Hollar’s St. Paul’s Choir, 1658, shows the interior of the famous London cathedral in exquisite detail. In his day, nearly two centuries before photography, Hollar’s etchings enabled people to view places and things they could not visit personally. Photo by Sydney Collins © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

For years, tourists have purchased postcards to show others the interesting sites they have visited and the beautiful works of art they have seen.

But what did people do in the 17th century, when travel was difficult and there was no photography? How did those who couldn’t travel themselves get a sense of what was out there in the world and what was happening in other lands?

In many cases, they relied on masterfully engraved etchings of famous works, places and events.

Today, Richmonders can see rare etchings of an execution in 1641, London before and after the Great Fire of 1666, as well as reproductions of artworks and detailed church interiors at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ (VMFA) newest show, “Hollar’s Encyclopedic Eye: Prints from the Frank Raysor Collection.”

Wenceslaus Hollar isn’t a household name, but he’s been called “the 17th-century Bill Bryson,” the kind of artist whose work touches on travel, history, geography and science.

Born into a noble family in Prague in 1607, Hollar lived through tumultuous times and was forced to flee his home several times — to Stuttgart, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Cologne and, finally, London in 1636, sketching and etching all the way.

In 17th-century England and Europe, travel was a luxury, so art like Hollar’s was the only way most people could glimpse other places.

“Prints like these were a way to share information,” according to exhibition co-curator Colleen Yarger, VMFA’s curatorial assistant for European art and the Mellon collections, and interim head of the department of European art. “Through his work, we can gain a better understanding of the things that were important in Europe at that time.”

A broad range of works

Five key sections of the show highlight the artist’s worldly experiences, beginning with an introduction to his life and continuing with works from his time in Prague, England and Antwerp. More than 200 etchings make up the exhibit.

They include landscapes and maps as well as portraits of animals, men and women, including a rare “Woman of Virginia” — a copy of a print of an indigenous tribe member.

Hollar’s humorous print, “Five Grotesque Heads,” suggests works by the 18th-century English printmaker and satirist William Hogarth. But Hollar documented peoples’ lifestyles rather than commenting on the human condition.

Visitors to the exhibit also have the opportunity to learn more about the etching and printmaking process.

An etching is a method of making prints from a metal plate, usually copper. The copper plate is first coated with an acid-resistant substance, calle the etching ground, through which the design is drawn with a sharp tool. The plate’s design is then inked, and paper pressed onto the plate reveals the design.

To appreciate the exquisite detail of Hollar’s work, visitors should take advantage of the magnifying glasses the VMFA provides in each room. The contrast of Hollar’s soft lines — in women’s fur muffs, for example — with the hard lines of his seashell etchings is breathtaking.

In addition, some prints have an adjacent block of copy, labeled “Look Closely,” pointing to Hollar’s meticulous techniques or his observations that casual visitors might otherwise miss.

It wasn’t plagiarism then

Today we’re apt to think that copying another’s work is plagiarism. But that was not so in the 17th century, when the only “mass media” were copies of other works through means such as etchings.

Once he arrived in London, Hollar took a job copying the art collection of the Earl of Arundel, including works by Albrecht Dürer and Leonardo da Vinci. The earliest of Hollar’s works, dated 1625 and 1626, are small, postcard-sized plates; one is a copy of a print by Dürer, whose work influenced Hollar.

“Citizens across Europe were able to see representations of famous works through Hollar’s prints even if they weren’t able to see them in person,” VMFA’s Yarger said.

“That remains the case today, since some of Hollar’s prints — including his visual representations of works by Hans Holbein and Parmigianino — are the only existing examples of works that have been lost or destroyed,” Yarger added. “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to Hollar.”

The museum’s gratitude extends to collector Frank Raysor, who donated nearly 2,500 prints by Hollar to the museum. [See below.]

“Frank Raysor’s collection of this master 17th-century printmaker’s works rivals those held by the British Museum and the Queen’s Collection in London as well as the National Gallery in Prague and the Fischer Library at the University of Toronto,” said VMFA Director Alex Nyerges at the exhibition’s opening. With Raysor’s gift, the VMFA becomes one of the world’s five major repositories for works by Hollar, an artist whose “encyclopedic eye” still sheds light on history.

The VMFA is located at 200 N. Boulevard in Richmond. It is open 365 days a year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on Thurs. and Fri.), and admission is free. The Hollar exhibition will be in the Evans Court Gallery through May 5.

For additional information about the exhibit and Hollar-related programs, visit www.VMFA.museum or call (804) 340-1400.

An extraordinary gift

Collector Frank Raysor’s promised gift to the VMFA of more than 10,000 prints increases the museum’s total number of objects by one third.

He has collected important works on paper by Charles Meryon, Felix Bracquemond and Sir Francis Seymour Haden, among others.

Raysor, a retired financial analyst for the Seagram Corporation, said, “I’ve been collecting works by Hollar for over 40 years, and my relationship with VMFA goes back to the fifth grade, when I took Saturday art classes there.”

Raysor became interested in prints and printmaking in his 30s. “I bought every book I could find on prints and printmaking during weekends for 10 years or so, and I noticed Hollar kept coming up time and time again.”

Named VMFA Collector of the Year in 2011, Raysor’s name was given to the VMFA’s Frank Raysor Center for the Study of Works on Paper (more than 15,000 works) to honor his gift to the museum.