S.W. Hayter had combined engraving with drypoint in his early efforts, then aquatint and later, mezzotint. For the first time, in late 1933, he added a little soft-ground to create a fabric texture to the print "Meutre".
For his second attempt, this intaglio, 'Woman in a Net' from 1934, displays some of results of the experimentation that was being done at Atelier 17 in Paris, in which can be found some new devices. The theme of this work is given effect not only by the elaboration of three dimensional forms by the use of the gestural linear patterns of the burin but also subtle webbing patterns pressed into a soft ground to create a background texture on the plate.
This is the first print in which Hayter created a three dimensional printed element, an incised white line channeled out of the copper plate by a scorper, so deep that no ink is forced into the line. Soft-ground etching and use of the scorper both play important parts in his work, leading up to "Combat" of 1936 and throughout the rest of his long career.