Zicht op de Jardin des Plantes 1838

Louis-Julien Jacottet made this print of the Jardin des Plantes using lithography, a planographic process which makes use of the chemical repulsion between oil and water. With lithography, the artist draws an image on a flat stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon or ink, which is then treated with chemicals to fix the drawing, creating an image carrier. The plate is dampened with water, which adheres only to the non-greased areas; a greasy ink is then applied, which adheres only to the drawn areas, and finally, the image is transferred to paper under pressure. The process creates a very distinctive aesthetic. In this print we can feel the smoothness of the stone, which allowed Jacottet to render this famous garden in such immaculate detail, capturing the likenesses of the fashionable visitors enjoying their leisure time. The final print would have been one of many, creating an affordable and portable version of Parisian life. Jacottet’s print makes us consider the relationship between technology, production, and consumption, and invites us to reflect on the amount of labor involved in each print.