Meisje neemt afscheid van haar familie voordat ze naar de stad vertrekt 1834

This print, ‘Meisje neemt afscheid van haar familie voordat ze naar de stad vertrekt’, was made by Jules David. It’s a lithograph, meaning that it was drawn on a flat stone with a greasy crayon, then printed. You can see how the material influences the appearance of the artwork. The lithographic crayon allowed the artist to create a wide range of tones and textures, from the soft shading of the figures' faces to the crisp lines of their clothing. The process allowed for relatively quick reproduction, reflecting the growth of urban centers during the industrial revolution. The print captures a poignant moment of separation. It is a representation of the social changes of the era, the movement of people from rural areas to urban centers in search of new opportunities. The amount of work involved in creating the original drawing, and the relative ease of printing many copies, speaks to the changing nature of labor and consumption in the 19th century. Paying attention to materials and making helps us understand the artwork's full meaning, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.