Omslag voor twaalf prenten met voorbeelden van schilderkunst 1850

This cover for twelve prints, made in Paris by Charles Nicolas Lemercier, showcases examples of painting through lithography. Lithography, a printing process based on the chemical repulsion of oil and water, was a relatively new technology at the time. The design is first drawn on a stone or metal plate with a greasy substance. Applying water and then ink allows the ink to adhere only to the drawn areas, which are then transferred to paper. The cover itself indicates the ambition of mass reproduction; lithography enabled the wider dissemination of artworks. The design includes text in various typefaces, indicating the title and the artists whose work is featured inside; Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish, German and English masters. This suggests an emerging market for art reproductions catering to a growing middle class with an appetite for culture. Paying attention to the materials and techniques used in this cover helps us consider how art was being democratized and consumed in the 19th century.