Portretten van leden van wandelgezelschap Ahasverus 1858

Curator: This is an 1858 pencil drawing by Sybrand Altmann entitled "Portretten van leden van wandelgezelschap Ahasverus" – or, Portraits of members of the Ahasverus hiking club. Editor: It looks like a study for a larger group portrait. Very academic in its precision, almost photographic, and yet… the arrangement feels quite playful. Curator: Absolutely. We need to consider this in relation to the social and intellectual circles of the time. Hiking, scientific exploration, and philosophical societies were all intertwined, especially for young, educated men. The very act of walking together fostered a sense of collective identity and shared purpose. Editor: You're right. The accoutrements arranged among the portraits reinforce that - walking sticks, the bag and even a geologist's hammer mark them as active, outdoorsy and of a particular social status. The very *idea* of a "hiking club," signals leisure made possible by labor. What materials were typically available for artists during that time to get these types of detailed sketches and studies? Curator: Access to high-quality drawing paper and finely crafted pencils was increasingly available to the burgeoning middle classes. However, even those seemingly simple tools can point to networks of production and distribution across different social classes. Editor: It seems like more than just faces and fashionable jackets are on display. A closer look at these individual faces and their arrangement gives you the impression that something in this arrangement could also speak to the hierarchical or power dynamic among these young gentlemen. Curator: I see that too. Their positions and gaze, the slight variations in attire. Were certain members asserting status, wealth, and perhaps religious privilege in subtle ways, or challenging traditional gender roles of men in leisure settings? Editor: I think so. The fact that they commissioned Altmann to commemorate their group indicates both resources and intention, a desire to construct a certain public image. And this, sketched as it is, shows the raw elements used in doing so. Curator: Considering Altmann's choice of materials, his meticulous technique, the context of their hiking club’s identity… It provides a glimpse into how men sought community, celebrated leisure, and expressed status in 19th-century Netherlands. Editor: Exactly. More than a record of a pleasant hiking society gathering; an artifact showing the very work that makes that possible.