Au Jardin Du Luxembourg 1893

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen created this lithographic print, "Au Jardin Du Luxembourg," a song sheet cover, using the process of lithography. This commercial medium involved drawing on a flat stone surface with a greasy crayon, treating it with chemicals, and then printing from the stone. The flat, graphic style shows the influence of Japanese prints, popular at the time. We can see the process at work in the bold lines and solid blocks of color, which combine to create a scene of everyday life with social commentary. The print shows a mother and child watched over by soldiers, presumably in the Luxembourg Gardens. Lithography allowed for mass production, making art accessible to a wider audience. The print exemplifies how artistic techniques historically associated with craft and commercial application, could elevate everyday subjects and engage with broader social issues of class, labor, and leisure, which are at the core of art history.