Venster met gordijnen after 1878

This print, "Venster met gordijnen," meaning "Window with curtains" in English, was made anonymously. At first glance, it might seem like a simple depiction of interior design. But let's consider what's really on display here: luxurious textiles. These fabrics—the rich velvet, the delicate netting—speak volumes about the society that produced them. Notice the elaborate draping, the tassels, the meticulous attention to detail. These aren't just curtains; they're a statement of wealth and status. Think about the labor involved in creating such opulence. From the cultivation of raw materials like cotton and silk, to the spinning, dyeing, weaving, and embellishment, a whole workforce would have been employed, and likely exploited, to produce these fashionable window dressings. The print, therefore, serves as a visual document of the era’s social structure and the mechanics of its economy. It also underscores the value placed on skilled handcraft, even as industrialization was transforming the world of production.