Onbevlekte ontvangenis van Maria 1876

Henri Emile Lefort created this print called "Onbevlekte ontvangenis van Maria," or Immaculate Conception of Mary, in France. Here, Lefort uses imagery and symbolism, such as cherubs, to associate the Virgin Mary with heaven. This visual language creates an image of an ideal woman, the Mother of God. The subject is presented as the antithesis of Eve, who in Christian theology brought about the fall of humankind; the Immaculate Conception suggests the possibility of redemption from sin. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was only formalized by the Catholic Church in 1854, during the pontificate of Pius IX. Lefort made the print in 1878. The question of the Virgin Mary's purity was very pertinent in French society, in which the Catholic Church still wielded considerable social influence. Examining parish records, publications by French theologians, and popular religious art may help us to understand the complex relationship between social mores, religion, and art.