Reclining on a Roseate Knoll (valentine)
c. 1842
Medium
Lithograph with hand-coloring on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Folded sheet: 23.3 × 18.5 cm (9 3/16 × 7 5/16 in.)
Classification
valentine
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
75451
Art Historical Context
"Reclining on aate Knoll" is a charming lithograph with hand-coloring on ivory wove paper, around 1842 by an unknown artist. This folded sheet, measuring about 9¼ × 7⅜ inches, captures a romantic figure lounging on a rosy hill, evoking the tender sentiments of Victorian-era love. Housed in Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings department and classified as a valentine it exemplifies the sentimental greeting cards that surged in popularity during the th century. Lithography, a printing technique invented decades earlier, enabled affordable mass production of such images, while the delicate...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...