The Hand of the Lithographer In the coastal air of Rochefort, France, a young man named Charles Mercereau began a life defined by the precision of the line and the chemistry of the press. Born in 1822, he was the son of a naval inspector, a background that perhaps instilled in him the discipline required for the meticulous work of a draughtsman and engraver. His early years were spent in the service of the naval administration, yet his…