Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van een meisje in een landschap door Joshua Reynolds before 1867

This photomechanical print reproduces a painting by Joshua Reynolds, and was made by A & E. Seeley. The process by which this image came into being is really fascinating, and speaks volumes about the industrialization of art. Before photography, the public’s access to painting was limited. But with the advent of photographic reproduction, images could be widely disseminated and consumed. This print is made using a photomechanical process, meaning that the image was transferred to a printing plate using photographic means. The matrix was likely etched and then printed using a printing press. The resulting object mimics the look and feel of a traditional print, but is now available at scale, and more cheaply. This shift democratized art, but also changed its status, transforming unique handmade works into mass-produced commodities. So, we can appreciate this image not just for its aesthetic qualities, but as evidence of the changing landscape of art and labor in the industrial age.