Fotoreproductie van een portret van Lodewijk XVI van Frankrijk naar een schilderij van Antoine-François Callet door Charles Clement Bervic before 1866

Curator: This reproduction presents a portrait of Louis XVI after Antoine-François Callet’s original, engraved by Charles Clement Bervic. We believe it dates to before 1866. The print appears within the leaves of a larger text. Editor: The visual weight here is somber. Louis’ gaze feels averted, burdened even. The tonality adds a sense of aged gravitas—the greyscale palette speaks to the passage of time, the fading of royalty. Curator: It is crucial to observe that this isn't merely a portrait. As a printed reproduction included within a larger bound text, we need to consider the method of its production. How the print was made, reproduced, and ultimately distributed for mass consumption transforms our relationship to Louis XVI himself. Editor: True, and looking closely, I am drawn to the choice of imagery in relation to Louis himself. Think of all the baggage. By reproducing his likeness and associating him with the stated text—the truth about his flight and arrest—the image operates as more than just a picture. It becomes a signifier for failed monarchy and upheaval. Curator: It pushes one to consider not just the ‘what’—the symbol of Louis—but the ‘how’ of its creation and distribution. What sort of labor made such replication possible, and how might it function within specific historical economies of image and knowledge? Editor: A tragic emblem of the old order struggling to assert itself within an age defined by revolution, both political and technological. Curator: It becomes apparent that even in reproductions, materiality matters, production matters. It’s more than just image; it is material imbued with meaning. Editor: I see your point. Thinking about it as both an artistic and a manufacturing process offers fascinating insights into its symbolic value, too.