Lotery voor kinderen 1798 - 1835

This lottery ticket for children was printed by K. Schorteldoek in Rotterdam, using woodcut on paper. Woodcut is a relief printing technique. The artist carves an image into the surface of a wood block, leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Here, the image shows a grid of sixteen small scenes, each numbered and accompanied by a short verse. These would correspond to different prizes in the lottery. The lines are crisp and regular. The figures are simple, almost cartoonish. The printing process gives this ticket a somewhat folksy, mass-produced quality. This lottery ticket provides a fascinating glimpse into the material culture and the social life of the time. It speaks to the popularity of games of chance and the commercialization of leisure activities. The print is an index of early capitalism, and how that system touched even the lives of children.