Weet, kindren! stoot die man zijn beenen [(...)] 1861 - 1929

This lithograph was created by Albertus Willem Sijthoff, sometime in the 19th century. It's a page of 'New Dutch Children's Prints' - small scenes accompanied by didactic rhymes. The print offers a glimpse into the values and social expectations of children during that era. We see vignettes that range from admonitions to playful scenarios, each designed to impart a moral lesson or convey a certain worldview. There's a tension visible in these images, a negotiation between the innocence of childhood and the imposition of adult norms. The rhymes, with their folksy language, attempt to bridge this gap, to make instruction seem like entertainment. I wonder about the children who first encountered these prints. How did they internalize these lessons? Did they resist or reimagine these narratives in their own ways? This print is not merely a quaint artifact; it's a window into a world where childhood was carefully curated and innocence was a battleground for shaping future citizens.