Sheet Music: The Baptism c. 19th century

Editor: This is a piece of sheet music titled "Le Bapteme," made by an anonymous artist. I’m struck by the contrast between the seemingly upper-class characters and the domestic scene. What can we say about the production of this image? Curator: The lithographic print would have been reproduced and consumed widely. Consider the materiality of the paper itself, the ink used to create the image, and the presses that brought this scene to life. How does that mass production relate to the subject of the image? Editor: So, the scene of apparent domesticity and potential social critique is being created and distributed through a mechanical and commercial process. I never thought about sheet music this way. Curator: Exactly! Understanding the labor and materials transforms how we see even the simplest image.