Portret van Marie Delaporte before 1874

This is a page from "Paris-Theatre," featuring a portrait of Marie Delaporte, printed with ink on paper. The photograph is mounted onto a page richly ornamented with graphic flourishes. The combined effect is one of technological advancement and artistic embellishment. Printing processes like this one democratized image-making. Unlike painting or sculpture, which required considerable skill and time, and were therefore available only to the wealthy, printed images allowed for mass dissemination. We can consider the social implications of this shift. Photography in particular allowed people to see accurate likenesses of others, and of themselves, more easily than ever before. But the image is also embedded within advertising and commercial activities. This reminds us that these new visual technologies were quickly absorbed into the machinery of consumption. As we admire the portrait of Madame Delaporte, let’s also reflect on how techniques of production and reproduction fundamentally changed social life in the 19th century. This image exists in a complex interplay of art, commerce, and technology.