The Fortune Teller
Medium
Lithograph with a brown tone on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 19 × 18.9 cm (7 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.); Sheet: 37.9 × 30.9 cm (14 15/16 × 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
117786
Art Historical Context
William Morris Hunt’s “The Fortune Teller” of 1857 showcases the artist’s engagement with lithography, a medium that gained prominence in the nineteenth century for its ability to produce rich, tonal effects at relatively low cost. Printed in warm brown ink on ivory wove paper, the work demonstrates how the lithographic process—drawing directly on a prepared stone—could capture subtle gradations and a sense of intimacy usually associated with drawings. Measuring just under eight inches square for the image, the print was likely intended for wider circulation than a unique painting, reflecting ...
About the Artist
William Morris Hunt · 1824–1879
American, Brattleboro, Vermont 1824–1879 Appledore, New Hampshire