Manden med dukken. Nr. 23 i Chr. Winther og M. Rørbye, "25 Billeder for små børn" 1846

Adolph Kittendorff made this print, "The Man with the Doll," as part of a series of images for young children. It is a lithograph, a printmaking process that relies on the chemical reaction between grease and water. The image is drawn on a stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then the surface is treated so that ink adheres only to the greasy areas. This allows for highly detailed images, as we see here. The process lends itself to commercial applications because many copies can be quickly produced, allowing artists to reach a wide audience at an affordable price. Here, we see a street vendor with a tray of dolls for sale. The print itself becomes a commodity, much like the wares that it depicts. By focusing on the material and the making, we can better understand its place in the social and economic landscape of 19th-century Denmark.