Kop Possibly 1870 - 1871

Johannes Tavenraat made this drawing called "Kop" with pen in 1870. Tavenraat was born in Rotterdam and he painted and drew portraits, cityscapes and landscapes. This particular work is a quick sketch, perhaps a caricature. But what does caricature mean for social history? It’s a way of exaggerating certain features to mock or critique someone or something. Was Tavenraat engaging with the social structures of his time through these caricatures? Was he critiquing the institutions of art? To answer these questions, we could research Dutch newspapers and journals from the 1870s, looking for social commentary and visual satire. We might look for the artist’s other works of caricature, comparing the subjects, and considering the context in which they were made. Only through careful research can we understand the social life of art.