De haan op den kerktoren 1874

Editor: So, this is “De haan op den kerktoren,” or “The Rooster on the Church Tower,” a print from 1874 by De Ruyter & Meijer. It's interesting; it looks like a series of little scenes telling a story. It almost feels like a page from a children's book. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What immediately strikes me is the blend of folk narrative and emerging print culture. This wasn't just art for art's sake. It was explicitly created and disseminated for a wider public, educating while entertaining. See how the narrative unfolds sequentially, much like a comic strip, a new format at the time? What might this format suggest about its intended audience? Editor: That it was trying to reach a lot of people? Make the story accessible? Curator: Precisely. Think about literacy rates at the time and the rising middle class eager to engage with popular culture. These prints were often tied to moralizing tales, reinforcing social norms through accessible imagery. Notice how each frame captures a domestic or public moment. How might that grounding in everyday life affect its reception? Editor: It makes it relatable, I guess. Like this fantastic, slightly absurd thing could actually happen to anyone. It's kind of teaching a lesson? Curator: Exactly. The placement of the boy being flown above the steeple in the composition highlights this tension, perhaps even satirizing aspirations beyond one's social station, using fantastical elements to comment on everyday social realities. These were not isolated artistic gestures but interventions in a broader cultural conversation. It's designed to create new narratives about how social mores and the church tower may meet. Editor: That’s a cool connection. I thought it was just a cute story, but it’s clearly more complex. Now I'm seeing it less as a simple kid's story, and more a conversation on society at that moment. Thanks!