Advertentie voor de Exposition du Centenaire de la Lithographie georganiseerd door Galerie Rapp 1895 - 1900

This is a poster advertising the centenary of lithography, produced anonymously in France. The image brings together the old and the new, with a contemporary woman admiring a lithograph in front of the Paris skyline. In the background, we see another poster for 'Imprimerie Courmont Frères’ showcasing a modern woman which emphasises the changes brought to society by the technology and cultural shifts of the 19th century. Lithography democratized printmaking. It shifted the medium from a craft rooted in artistic skill to something reproducible and commercial. This poster speaks to the institutional history of art as prints move from the studio to the gallery. Historians use advertisements, art criticism, and exhibition catalogues to understand the changing meaning of art in its own time. Advertisements such as this one reveal art’s dependence on social and institutional context.