Afsked ved det nordiske studentermøde i København 1862

Adolph Kittendorff created this print, "Farewell to the Nordic Student Meeting in Copenhagen," using lithography, a process dependent on the industrialization of papermaking and printing technologies. The image's fine lines and tonal range result from the artist's skillful manipulation of lithographic crayons on a stone matrix. This allowed for the relatively quick reproduction of detailed images, making them accessible to a broad audience. The act of printing itself—transferring an image from one surface to another—speaks to the social context of the time, characterized by increasing communication and exchange of ideas. The image celebrates a gathering of students from across the Nordic region. Yet, it is also an artifact produced through the division of labor inherent in industrial capitalism: from the mining of the lithographic stone to the operation of the printing press. Ultimately, this print invites us to consider not only the event it depicts but also the means of its production and circulation, blurring the lines between art, industry, and social life.