Christian Jürgensen Thomsen 1869

Curator: This is a lithograph from 1869, portraying Christian Jürgensen Thomsen. Editor: My initial reaction is... austere. The monochromatic palette gives it a certain gravitas. And there is clearly a very high level of craft and detail, specifically visible in the lines forming the shading and features. Curator: Indeed. Thomsen was a pivotal figure in archaeology, best known for developing the Three-age system - Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age. It revolutionized our understanding of prehistory, a huge cultural impact. This print immortalizes him. Editor: It is intriguing to consider this lithograph's production. Each print required a stone carefully worked with specialized tools. That act of reproducing Thomsen’s image—the labor involved— speaks volumes about his societal position, doesn't it? He was deemed important enough for such meticulous and potentially laborious replication. Curator: Precisely! The proliferation of his image also solidifies his status and spreads his ideas. Notice the almost scientific realism employed? It reinforces Thomsen's image as a serious intellectual. Editor: I wonder, though, about the artist's choice to work from a photograph, as indicated beneath the sitter’s name in the inscription, "Efter Photographie" after photograph, what this means. Was this to simply make a likeness available in printed format? Was this lithograph designed to replace painting traditions and mass manufacture portraiture? Curator: It reflects a shifting dynamic between artistic mediums and perhaps indicates the rise of photography. Printmaking played a huge role in distributing knowledge and promoting Enlightenment ideals. Think about how accessible and ubiquitous images of important scientists or philosophers became. Editor: An interesting thought to end on: while the lithograph preserves Thomsen's likeness, the method reveals as much about 19th century artistic labour, cultural priorities, and material consumption as about Thomsen himself. Curator: It highlights how individuals like Thomsen shaped the intellectual landscape of the era, impacting how we perceive history and knowledge to this day.