Verjaringfeest van de altyd gedenkwaardige overwinning en slag van Waterloo / voorgevallen op den 16, 17 en 18 juny 1815 1806 - 1830

This print, commemorating the Battle of Waterloo, was made by Johan Noman, a book printer, around 1815. It's a lithograph, a relatively new printing technique at the time, which allowed for the quick reproduction of images and text. The material, paper, is cheap and easily accessible, indicating a wide distribution to the public, and ties it to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. The print celebrates a major political event, but it does so through a very accessible medium, one that would have been available to a broad range of people, and in that way the act of printmaking democratizes the experience. The images and text are rendered with a simple, almost folk-art quality. There's a directness to the lines and the composition that speaks to the print's intended audience. While it may not be considered high art, the lithograph reflects the social and political fervor surrounding Waterloo, capturing a specific moment in time. The work reminds us that materials, making, and context are essential to understanding the full meaning of an artwork, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.