Fotoreproducties van De oude drinker door Gabriël Metsu en De stier door Paulus Potter c. 1866 - 1874

This photographic reproduction of paintings by Gabriël Metsu and Paulus Potter offers a fascinating glimpse into 19th-century art consumption. Rather than focusing on brushstrokes or the artist's hand, the anonymous photographer uses the emerging technology of photography to reproduce, and therefore democratize, access to these celebrated artworks. This process shifts the focus from the unique aura of the original painting to its reproducibility, mirroring the rise of industrial production and mass consumption. The choice of subject matter – a drinker and a bull – further speaks to the social context. Metsu’s painting depicts a scene of everyday life, while Potter’s celebrates rural life. Reproduced through photography, these images become commodities, divorced from their original context and available to a wider audience. This raises questions about the value and meaning of art in an age of mechanical reproduction, challenging the traditional hierarchy between fine art and popular culture.