Tot nut en ook tot vreugd, zy u deez prent gegeven, / Laat naarstigheid en deugd, daar van de vrugten weezen 1791 - 1812

Editor: This is "Tot nut en ook tot vreugd, zy u deez prent gegeven, / Laat naarstigheid en deugd, daar van de vrugten weezen" by Jacobus Thompson, made sometime between 1791 and 1812. It's a print, an engraving on paper, and looks almost like an early comic strip. I find it pretty charming! What do you make of it? Curator: Charming is a great word for it! To me, it feels like stepping into a time capsule, doesn’t it? A little peep show into the late 18th and early 19th-century Dutch life. Thompson gives us these glimpses with, shall we say, a * wink *. Each miniature scene is a lesson wrapped in entertainment. Almost a visual sermon, but served with a side of humor. Editor: A visual sermon? It feels more lighthearted than that. Is it really trying to teach me something? Curator: Oh, absolutely! Consider the title. “For Use and Pleasure." See, there's that wink again! Back then, art had a job to do. It was supposed to educate and improve you, not just look pretty. These images are about the virtues of diligence and morality, packaged so they'd stick. Each little frame seems to ask, "Are you being a good citizen?" with the unstated threat of, “or else!” looming somewhere. What's your take, now that you've considered that idea for a moment? Editor: I guess seeing it as both entertainment *and* instruction makes it richer. It makes me think about what people valued then... and maybe what we still value now, just presented differently. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Thinking about why people made the art that they did offers insights into, well, *us*, doesn't it?