Jager in grote tenue, 1820-1825 1820 - 1830

This print of a ‘Jager in grote tenue’ was created by De la Cour between 1820 and 1825. Its medium, printmaking, is critical to understanding its purpose. The crisp lines and flat colors suggest a process of lithography, a relatively new technology at the time. This method allowed for the relatively quick reproduction of images, making them accessible to a wider audience. Consider the social context. The print depicts a soldier in full dress uniform, a symbol of power and order in the post-Napoleonic era. Lithography, in this case, serves the purpose of disseminating an image of military authority. The level of detail suggests it may have been a source of information for tailors, for example, or military enthusiasts. Ultimately, this print reveals how a specific technology, lithography, was used to propagate images of social importance, blurring the lines between art, information, and political messaging.