Geschiedenis van Jozef 1865 - 1875

This print, Geschiedenis van Jozef No. 3, was made by George Lodewijk Funke. The print presents the story of Joseph in the form of nine vignettes, like a comic strip. Each scene would have begun with a drawn composition, translated into a print for mass production. In this case, the print is also hand colored to add visual excitement for a child audience. This division of labor – between the original artist, the printmaker, and the colorists – speaks to the industrialized nature of image production in the 19th century. Consider the contrast between the time and skill required for Funke to design this print, versus the relatively quick work of the printers and colorists who replicated it many times over. This kind of disconnect is so common that we hardly notice it, yet it permeates our experience of visual culture. It invites us to consider not only the content of images, but how they come into being, and the lives of those who make them.