Vrouwenhoofd met hoed met klimop, 1875, No. M.31 1875

This print of a woman's head adorned with a hat of ivy was made in 1875 by an anonymous artist. The work is made from commercially produced paper, with the image printed on it using lithography, a process that makes it easy to produce multiple copies. Looking closely, you can see how the texture of the original drawing translates into the print. The process allowed for fine lines and subtle gradations of tone, visible in the woman's face and the detailed rendering of the ivy leaves and flowers. Lithography was a modern technique that was tied to the rise of consumer culture, making images more accessible to a wider audience. Consider the social context, as such images would have been used to disseminate fashion trends, influencing what people bought and wore. While anonymous, the artist was a part of a larger industry, contributing to the visual landscape of the time. This reminds us that even seemingly simple images carry significant cultural and economic weight.