L'affût 1858

Paul Gavarni made this lithograph called L'affût, sometime in the mid-19th century. The lithographic process involves drawing on a flat stone with a greasy crayon, then treating the stone so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. Look closely, and you can see the marks of the crayon, creating a range of tones and textures. This print-making method allowed for relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction, making images like this accessible to a wide audience. L'affût depicts a hunter patiently waiting, rifle in hand, his gaze fixed on the horizon. The soft, grainy texture of the lithograph lends a sense of atmosphere to the scene, evoking the quiet stillness of the hunt. Gavarni was known for his acute observations of everyday life in Paris, and this image speaks to the changing social landscape of the time, where leisure activities like hunting were becoming increasingly popular among the middle class. The print medium itself, with its capacity for mass production, reflects these shifts in consumption and class. Appreciating the materiality and making of this lithograph helps us understand its place in a broader cultural context.