Blinde bedelaar, vrouw met kinderen en een krokodil 1834

This print, made by Frédéric Bouchot, probably dates to around the 1840s. It is made from ink on paper, and displays Bouchot’s skill as a draughtsman. The work is essentially a study of social types. But it is the very act of graphic reproduction that gives it an interesting inflection. Printmaking allowed for the broad dissemination of images in ways previously unimaginable. It democratized the visual field. In this particular print, a blind beggar and a crocodile are featured alongside a mother with children and another scene with a woman in the background. While the crocodile is seemingly out of place, the artist draws attention to the co-existence of the different facets of society. Consider how this print was made – quickly, efficiently, for a mass audience. And think too about what it represents: a new way of seeing, and of understanding, the social world. Bouchot’s work collapses distinctions between fine art and everyday life, and shows us the power of images to shape our perceptions.