Portret van Victor Considerant 1848 - 1853

Alphonse Farcy made this print of Victor Considerant using lithography, a process that democratized image-making in the 19th century. Lithography's magic lies in its reliance on the mutual repulsion of grease and water. The artist draws on a smooth stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, then treats the surface so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. The print is made by pressing paper against the inked surface. Look closely and you can see the subtle gradations of tone, achieved by varying the pressure and density of the crayon strokes. The relative ease with which lithography allowed for the reproduction of images meant that portraits like this became more accessible, circulating likenesses far and wide. This had a social impact, giving citizens access to images of public figures like never before. This portrait, made with industrial printing techniques, moved image-making away from unique handcrafted artworks, and into the arena of mass production and distribution. It reflects the shifting landscape of art, labor, and consumption in an industrializing world.