De vergeetachtige Jan 1876 - 1892

Curator: This mixed-media print, including drawing and pen elements, is titled "De vergeetachtige Jan," or "The Forgetful Jan," and was created by L. Attinger sometime between 1876 and 1892. Editor: Immediately, the composition grabs my attention; the way it is divided into vignettes reminds me of an early comic strip, hinting at the story of Jan, the boy chef. It feels both charming and a little chaotic! Curator: The choice of medium, likely reproduced through a printing process, indicates that it would have been widely disseminated; perhaps within a periodical for a broader audience, and it suggests it was a common and accessible form of visual storytelling. Editor: Absolutely! Given the narrative sequence and the subject matter, I suspect it targets children, perhaps educating them about proper conduct and the expectations placed on them within a household. Curator: Note also the materials within each panel; the arrangement of the kitchen utensils, the clothing materials from both kitchen and social settings, the layout of the furnishings within, all are intended to give insight into how domestic roles and spaces were understood. Editor: Right. I see gendered roles reinforced here; the woman instructing Jan by the stove in one scene, contrasted by women entertaining guests at the dining table elsewhere. The scenes also comment on the performance of labour, with a spotlight given to the kitchen help. It is a layered, yet subtle message for the time. Curator: One wonders too about the specific pigment and drawing process for its social context; a comic such as this was designed for repeated, mass manufacture, suggesting its themes are equally widespread. Editor: A good point! What resonates most with me is that, even through a lighthearted medium, we glean the systemic societal expectations placed upon gender, labour and class within domestic spaces. Curator: And by viewing how Attinger visualised the production of household and social space within this era, one becomes aware that seemingly straightforward images were, and remain, complex cultural products themselves. Editor: It reminds us that everyday images are powerful transmitters of culture. It is amazing what historical context allows us to discover about this single artwork.