Portret van een onbekende man c. 1851 - 1883

This portrait of an unknown man was created by Johan Hendrik Hoffmeister using lithography, a printmaking process that relies on the chemical repulsion between oil and water. The image is drawn on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then treated with acid to etch the design. Ink adheres to the greasy areas and is repelled by the wet, non-image areas. The printmaker then transfers the image to paper. What’s interesting here is lithography’s inherently reproductive nature. It was a key technology for mass media in the nineteenth century. The level of fine detail would have been painstaking work. Yet, the image’s existence is predicated on easy replication; it’s meant for circulation, not solitary display. So while we might look at this portrait as a fine art object, it’s important to remember its connection to broader social forces, as a technology of information, marketing, and distribution. This print is an excellent example of how printmaking democratized image making, challenging traditional notions of art and its value.