Husbands Always Make Me Laugh: Ninie, I've just had an idea 1853

This print, "Husbands Always Make Me Laugh: Ninie, I've Just Had an Idea," was made by Paul Gavarni in the 19th century, using lithography. This printing technique relies on the chemical repulsion of oil and water. The artist would have drawn directly onto a stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, then treated the surface so that ink would only adhere to the drawn areas. Look closely, and you'll see the characteristic soft, velvety texture that lithography can achieve, very different to the crisp lines of an etching. Gavarni was one of the great masters of the medium. Lithography was a relatively new technology in Gavarni’s time, and ideally suited for mass production. This print, with its witty social commentary, was likely intended for widespread distribution in a magazine or journal. This speaks to the changing status of art in the industrial age, and the rise of a market for affordable images that reflected modern life. It also suggests Gavarni’s role as a kind of visual journalist, observing and commenting on the social dynamics of his time. So, thinking about the print's material and its making helps us to understand its place in a rapidly changing world.