Fotoreproductie van (vermoedelijk) een prent naar werk van W. von Kaulbach: Dorothea (Dorothea und die Auswanderer) c. 1860 - 1890

This photomechanical reproduction, likely made by Andries Jager, captures an earlier print after a work by W. von Kaulbach. The reproductive method used here speaks volumes. Rather than commissioning an engraver to manually copy the original, a photographic process mechanically transfers the image. This was a cost-effective technique for mass distribution, perfectly suited to the late 19th century when images began to circulate widely. The original print it copies, titled "Dorothea and the Emigrants", is rendered in muted tones, lending a melancholic air to the scene of a family’s departure. The materiality of the photograph, its reproducible nature, highlights a shift in the art world—from unique, handcrafted objects to images available to all. The choice of photography over traditional printmaking underscores the democratizing potential of new technologies and their impact on artistic production and consumption. It prompts us to consider who had access to art and how that changed with the advent of mass production.