Portret van maarschalk Louis-Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers 1854

This print of Marshall Louis-Achille Baraguey d’Hilliers was made by Marie-Alexandre Alophe, a 19th-century French artist. Alophe was a master of lithography, a printmaking process that involves drawing on a stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then using ink to transfer the image onto paper. Look closely and you'll see the subtle gradations of tone and fine lines achieved through this method. Lithography was a key technology in the 19th century, allowing for the mass production of images, which speaks to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. Here, a military man is made accessible, and the image is multiplied for distribution. It collapses the distinction between a unique artwork and an item of popular culture. Paying attention to materials and making helps us understand the full meaning of this image, and how it challenged the traditional boundaries of art and craft.