Stadhuis te Groningen after 1857

Carel Christiaan Antony Last created this print of the Stadhuis te Groningen using lithography, a process that democratized image-making in the 19th century. Lithography involves drawing on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon, then treating the surface so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. This print's detailed lines and subtle tonal variations speak to the craft involved in its creation. The architecture is rendered with precision, and the figures give a sense of everyday life in the town square. What I find particularly compelling is how lithography, as a relatively accessible printmaking technique, allowed for wider distribution of images. It also speaks to a shift in artistic production, where skilled labor and mechanical reproduction intersect, offering insight into the social and cultural values of the time. It is through processes such as these, that art could be brought to the public eye.