Love Scene c. 1938

Mildred Marion Coughlin made this print, titled "Love Scene," using lithography, a process where an image is drawn on a stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then printed. The quality of the lithograph depends on the artist's drafting skills and the printer's technical expertise. The resulting print has a distinctive texture, with subtle variations in tone and line weight. The print plunges us into the world of the theater. Coughlin highlights the labor and social dynamics of the movie set. Here, the labor of actors, the director, and the cameramen is captured alongside that of the onlookers: stylists, publicists, and fans. While the elite actors are well-paid, the technicians and craftsmen behind the scenes are more precarious laborers. This print gives us insight into the way different classes worked together to create cinematic illusions. By focusing on the techniques and processes involved in this image, we can understand the complex social world behind its art.