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Nicolas Henri Jacob

The Genius of Lithography

1819
crayon lithograph with brush and scratchwork

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In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of July 2026

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FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

The Genius of Lithography celebrates the new printmaking technique (invented in 1798) that revolutionized illustration and enabled the reproduction of images at a reasonable cost, since numerous impressions can be printed from the lithographic stone. Artists liked the medium's flexibility: while rich blacks could be achieved for shadows, and every tone of gray was possible, a sharp point could scratch white highlights into dark areas.

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