Portret van François Mauguin 1831

Antoine Maurin rendered this print of François Mauguin using lithography, a technique that democratized image production in the 19th century. We see Mauguin, a prominent French lawyer and politician during the July Monarchy. This was a time of social and political upheaval in France. His stern gaze and formal attire speak to the power and privilege associated with his position. What interests me most about portraits like these is how they reinforce societal hierarchies, who gets remembered, and how. While Maurin's portrait immortalizes Mauguin, consider the countless unrecorded individuals whose lives shaped this era. It makes me wonder, what stories are left untold? This print then is not just a portrait of a man, but a reflection of the values of a society.