Twee heren bekijken een jongedame op straat 1846

Edouard de Beaumont created this lithograph, “Two Gentlemen Viewing a Young Lady on the Street,” using a stone plate to produce this print. Lithography, a popular process in the 19th century, allowed for relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction of images for mass consumption. Here, the sharp lines and tonal gradations were achieved by applying a greasy crayon to the smooth surface of the stone. The stone’s inherent ability to absorb both grease and water makes it a great material to create prints of a high quality, where the artist can control the exact amount of ink transferred to the paper. The social context of this print is also important. Mass production through lithography democratized image-making, creating a visual culture accessible to a wider audience beyond the elite, but it also depended on the labor of many, including the artist, the printer, and the distributors. The use of lithography allowed Beaumont to reach a broad audience, contributing to a growing consumer culture in Paris. This artwork blurs the boundaries between art and craft, reminding us of the social and economic forces that shape artistic production.