Tag Archives: daumier

Art and Print

We can better see the social and political impact of printing technology in the 19th century, especially when we look to those whom we deem artists. The lithograph allowed for clear, dependent, and immediate reproduction of images and type. For this, newspapers flourished as they were able to print many copies to distribute, as well as hone their quality. For an artist, this medium could be a perfect way to get their art (and name) out there, or to send a message. Daumier was a virulent critic of French politics in the first half of the 19th century. His lithographs were today’s political cartoons, showing up in newspapers during an era of uncharacteristic weak censorship. Though we have been reading much of the technical aspect of production, here we have a sense of the content made available by these technologies.