Image, Press, History

The present volume, the fourth in the new Res Libraria series is an important work that fills a long existing gap. The illustrated press is one of the less known segments of the 19^th century Hungarian press history, and its research is a characteristically interdisciplinary task, one of the most exciting ones in today’s culture and image research. Our present publication explores the art history context of image creation and reception, focusing on the question of whether press illustrations have a particular visual character. How do they relate to the high arts (academic and salon culture), the renewing genre of impressed graphics and the popular image industry that produces a massive amount of pictures? What strategies and techniques do they use to fulfill the mission of inter-visual and intercultural mediation? The author looks for the answers from the point of view of media and representation. The work reviews the historical development of the renewing Hungarian illustrated press in the 19^th century, together with its technical and economical background. We can learn how the images of the Hungarian press contributed to the formation of cultural symbols and national identity.

A great number of illustrations worth to discover leads the reader into this fascinating world.