Le Chevalier Dupetit-Thouars

Art Historical Context

Created in 1822, Jules Boilly’s lithograph *Le Chevalier Dupetit-Thouars* captures the likeness of its subject with the crisp precision and subtle tonal gradations characteristic of early nineteenth-century printmaking. Measuring just over 13 by 10 inches, the work is printed in black on smooth white wove paper, a support that highlights the medium’s ability to render fine detail and delicate shading. Lithography, still a relatively new technique at the time, allowed artists to draw directly on stone, offering greater spontaneity than engraving while remaining well suited to reproduction. Boilly, working in France during the Restoration period, helped popularize the medium for portraiture, bridging the gap between fine art and wider public access to images of notable figures. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings department, this sheet exemplifies how lithography quickly became an important vehicle for recording contemporary personalities and disseminating visual culture in the 1820s.