In autumn 2026, Mulhouse and Guebwiller will host a conference dedicated to a medium as familiar as it is complex: lithography. Long studied primarily for its artistic applications or its role in the major aesthetic movements of the 19th century, this printing technique is now undergoing a genuine historiographical revival, at the intersection of several disciplines. Invented at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, lithography is not limited to works of art: it also permeates much broader forms of production—illustrated periodicals, books, posters, everyday objects and administrative documents. This diversity makes it a prime field for examining the relationships between art, industry, techniques and social practices.
The conference ‘Lithography: An Artistic Industry?’, to be held on 20 and 21 November 2026, aims to explore these multiple dimensions. It seeks to bring together approaches from the history of art, the history of technology, publishing and printing, in order to better understand the conditions of image production, the functioning of workshops and the logic of diffusion.
Proposals for papers may, in particular, address the following themes:
– the various forms of lithography, ranging from artistic creation to mass production;
– the lithographic workshop as a space for craftsmanship, collaboration and competition;
– the material and technical aspects of the process;
– issues relating to marketing, distribution and reception.
Submission of proposals: Before 31 May 2026
For the full call for papers, visit: https://www.cresat.uha.fr/appel-a-communications-la-lithographie-une-industrie-artistique/
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