Postiljon te paard 1836

Auguste Raffet made this lithograph, Postiljon te paard, using a drawing made with greasy crayon on a flat stone. The grainy texture and blurred effects are typical of lithography, and well-suited to this image of a postman on horseback, rushing to deliver his mail. Lithography, a relatively new medium at the time, allowed for the fairly quick reproduction of images. This opened new markets for artists like Raffet to create work that could circulate widely through the burgeoning periodical press. The image itself speaks to the rapidly accelerating pace of life in the 19th century. We see here the human figure caught in an increasingly mechanized world, where information and goods are delivered at ever greater speed. Yet, as this image shows, the labor of both man and animal were essential to the processes of communication and commerce. Looking closely at the print reminds us of the relationship between technology, labor, and the transformation of everyday life.