Spotprent op de inkomstenbelasting, 1870 1870

This lithograph, titled "Spotprent op de inkomstenbelasting," or "Cartoon on Income Tax," was created in 1870 by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans. The printmaking process is crucial to understanding the artwork's satirical intent. Lithography, a technique using a flat stone or metal plate treated to repel ink, allowed for relatively quick reproduction. This was essential for disseminating political commentary to a wide audience. The stark black lines, achieved by drawing with a greasy crayon onto the lithographic stone, give the image a sense of immediacy. Note the figure's exaggerated distress as he sits atop bags of money, labeled "1000," lamenting the income tax. The artist uses the medium's inherent qualities – its reproducibility and graphic impact – to critique the social and economic policies of the time. The very act of mass-producing this image underscores the tensions between wealth, labor, and political power that Crans aimed to expose, bridging the gap between artistic expression and social commentary.