Portret van onbekende militair 1822 - 1874

This is an undated portrait of an unknown military man, made by Christian Heinrich Gottlieb Steuerwald using lithography. Lithography is an intriguing process, distinct from traditional drawing or painting. Instead of directly applying marks, the artist would have drawn on a flat stone with a greasy crayon, then treated the surface to allow ink to adhere only to the drawn areas. This printmaking technique allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images, and it democratized image-making at this time. Consider the social context of lithography: its rise coincided with industrialization and expanding literacy. This portrait, with its subtle gradations of tone, showcases lithography’s capacity for nuanced representation. The material qualities inherent to this process allowed Steuerwald to capture the likeness of the military man with clarity, yet with the softness of a drawing. It is important to acknowledge the interplay of material, technique, and social context to understand the print’s full significance.