Portret van Antoine Dubois 1818 - 1832

Charles Aimé Forestier produced this engraving of Antoine Dubois during the first half of the 19th century. During this period, in France and elsewhere, the proliferation of printed images expanded to satisfy an increasing public demand for portraiture. Engravings such as these offered a relatively affordable way to reproduce and distribute images of notable figures like Dubois to a broader audience. Dubois’s status is further emphasized by the intaglio printmaking process, which was a technique often associated with wealth and status. Note the way Dubois is depicted in profile, a format that recalls classical portraiture. This reference suggests the image has aspirations to permanence and historical significance. By looking into sources from the period, such as newspapers, journals, and institutional records, we can further our understanding of the artwork. In this way, the historian pieces together the network of social relations that give meaning to the image.