Portret van Marie de Rohan, hertogin van Chevreuse 1825 - 1842

This is a portrait of Marie de Rohan, Duchess of Chevreuse, made by Nicolas Maurin sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It is made from paper, through the technique of lithography. Consider the means of production; lithography is a printmaking process that relies on the chemical repulsion of oil and water. A design is drawn on a stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, and then inked. The ink adheres only to the greasy areas, and the image is transferred to paper. It enabled the relatively quick reproduction of images and was essential to the development of mass media. Maurin capitalizes on this capability, memorializing a member of the aristocracy for a broader audience. The use of lithography democratizes portraiture, making it accessible beyond the elite circles who could afford painted portraits. This print embodies the shift towards mass production and consumption in the 19th century. The print's material and method speak volumes about cultural shifts in image-making and access to representation. This challenges the traditional hierarchy between fine art and reproducible media.