The 220 prisoners taken in the fight for the possession of the Freikofel pass 1915

This print, by Achille Beltrame, shows captured soldiers, presumably during the First World War. It’s made with relatively inexpensive techniques: mass-produced paper, printed with colored inks. Beltrame was known for documentary illustrations in *La Domenica del Corriere*, bringing current events into Italian homes. Here, he used the graphic qualities of lithography to convey a sense of realism. This artwork is intended to communicate information, not beauty, and the process is key to understanding its purpose. The image speaks to the social and political context of the time. The artist is using an industrial printing process to disseminate an image of war. Consider the labor involved in the production of the soldiers’ uniforms and equipment, the manufacturing of the rifles they carry. Ultimately, this artwork encourages us to think about the relationship between materials, modes of production, and the human experience of war. The act of making and distributing this image becomes a part of the larger narrative.