Usury
1851
Medium
Zincograph in black on tan wove paper, laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 44.6 × 30.7 cm (17 9/16 × 12 1/8 in.); Sheet: 48.9 × 34.7 cm (19 5/16 × 13 11/16 in.)
Classification
zincograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
158956
Art Historical Context
Charles Rambert’s 1851 zincograph *Usury* offers a striking example of mid-nineteenth-century printmaking at a moment when artists sought to reach broader audiences through affordable reproductive techniques. Created on zinc rather than the more traditional stone used in lithography, the work exemplifies zincography’s advantages: it allowed for sharper lines and greater durability on the press, making it ideal for circulating images that commented on contemporary social issues. The title itself points to a long-standing moral and economic debate. Usury—the lending of money at excessive intere...