P. P. Malling 1835

Editor: This is a lithograph portrait of P.P. Malling made in 1835 by Edvard Lehmann, housed in the SMK. It's quite formal and precise. How would you unpack it? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the lithographic process itself. Think about the labour involved, the specific type of stone used, the tools, the transfer of the image, the printing press. How does this industrial process democratize portraiture compared to, say, oil painting? Editor: So you're focusing less on the subject and more on how the portrait came into being? Curator: Exactly. The subject, Malling, is undeniably presented with a degree of authority conveyed by that uniform and sash, but what about the artist and the artisans involved in producing multiples of this image? Consider the cultural context: what impact did affordable, reproducible images have on societal perceptions of power? Was this image aimed at the elites? The burgeoning middle class? Editor: It’s fascinating to consider it not just as art, but as a manufactured object with a purpose within society. I always tend to just consider the sitter. Curator: What about the dispersal of such printed images; where might you find it? Who controlled and regulated their use and distribution at the time? All of those factors, in a roundabout way, can shape the visual language presented to us. Editor: I see how analyzing the method and manufacture enriches the way we understand this seemingly simple portrait, and even questions its value beyond simply aesthetics. Thanks for your insights. Curator: My pleasure. It's vital we consider all production methods and their relationship to larger cultural contexts.