Cheapside before 1897

This image, "Cheapside", is a photo-mechanical print found in a book, likely made in the late 19th or early 20th century. It depicts a street scene in London, dominated by the steeple of a church. The very process by which this image was made is a clue to its social context. As photography became more widespread, so did the means of reproducing it, like in books. This placed images, and the ideas they conveyed, in the hands of a wider public. Was it progressive? The tricolour process described in the text allowed for a closer reproduction of natural colours. To understand this image more fully, we might research the history of photography, the development of printing technologies, and the urban development of London. The history of art isn't just about individual genius; it's about the complex interplay of social, economic, and technological forces.