Fotoreproductie van een gravure naar een schilderij van Paul en Virginie door Jozef van Lerius 1850 - 1900

This is a photographic reproduction by Gustav Schauer, made sometime in the 19th century, of an engraving based on a painting by Jozef van Lerius. What's interesting here is how the reproduction participates in a chain of production. Van Lerius's painting would have been a unique artwork, handled directly by the artist. But the engraving translates that image into a repeatable matrix, from which many impressions could be pulled. This reproductive capacity expanded access to the image, and by extension, the aesthetic and cultural values it represented. Photography, then, adds another layer. The photograph flattens the original engraving, creating a further degree of dissemination. The image is now even more portable, less tied to a specific place or context of display. This layering of techniques demonstrates how artworks become untethered from their origins, entering into the broader flows of social and economic life. The inherent qualities of the photographic and engraving processes, with their capacity for mass production, speak to issues of accessibility, consumption, and the changing status of the artwork in the modern era.