Fanny E. Copper
1930
Black-and-white lithograph
14 3/4” x 10 1/2” plate
Compare this print to the oil paintings on the wall behind you. The approach to representing a child in a lithograph marks a shift away from more expensive techniques (such as painting and frescoes) toward the print medium. Making prints was regarded as the most efficient way of sharing art to a large audience–it was akin to the internet of its day. In her notes, the artist explains her reasons for favoring lithography in a lecture memorialized in her notes:
Instead of using oils, which make large pictures needing frames and costly to ship, I decided to become a printmaker, and to do my work in lithography. A lithograph seemed ideal. It was larger than etching and freer in execution. It was very dramatic, very black-and-white. It should be perfect for modern subject matter.