Jonk van een Japanse prins 1862

This print, titled *Jonk van een Japanse prins*, depicts the vessel of a Japanese prince, though its maker is anonymous. The technique, lithography, is a printmaking process by which an image is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate and then transferred to paper. The lithographic process itself is interesting to consider, especially since it enabled the relatively efficient mass production of images like this one. It also facilitated the dissemination of knowledge about distant cultures and peoples, and the exoticism associated with them. The flat, graphic quality of the print lends a certain objectivity to the scene. The image documents not only the prince's boat but also, perhaps inadvertently, the labor and resources involved in its production. It’s important to remember that prints like this one, even if seemingly straightforward, are always mediated by the social and economic conditions of their making. Recognizing this link is key to a fuller appreciation.