Oriental with a Beard, Reading a Book

Art Historical Context

Henry Singleton's *Oriental with a Beard, Reading a Book* (1803) is a captivating early lithograph on paper, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department. Created just a few years after lithography's invention in the late 1790s, this print showcases Singleton's skill as a British portraitist and history painter (1766–1839), who adeptly adapted to the new medium's unique capabilities. Lithography, using a greasy crayon on limestone to draw directly onto the printing surface, allowed for spontaneous, expressive lines and subtle tones—revolutionary for affordable image ...