Utrechtse maskerade van 1886 (vierde plaat) 1886

This print, made by Anthony Grolman in 1886, depicts a costumed parade. It was produced using chromolithography, a color printing technique that was perfected in the 19th century. Chromolithography allowed for the relatively inexpensive reproduction of images, relying on the division of an image into different colors, with a separate stone printing each one. In this work, we see the potential for a detailed rendering of the figures, their costumes and the environment. The evenness of color and line suggests a mechanized process of reproduction, and it's interesting to think about the original artist acting more as a designer than a maker. The image, therefore, becomes part of a wider culture of mass media, linked to the consumption and circulation of images. The very making of this artwork invites us to consider how our appreciation of images can evolve through an understanding of materials, techniques, and their place within a particular time and context.