Spreekwoorden 1850

Editor: So, this is "Spreekwoorden" from 1850 by Jan Schuitemaker. It’s a print, an engraving on paper depicting different sayings about sea life. The small scenes, each with its own little verse, give the piece a narrative feel. What really jumps out to me is how much work must have gone into carving those tiny details into the printing plate. What strikes you about it? Curator: The choice of engraving for mass reproduction is interesting here. Rather than seeing this purely as art, think about the conditions of its production. How does the medium itself - an inexpensive print - affect who has access to these stories and sayings? Is it a reflection of a rising middle class with more disposable income perhaps? Editor: That's a good point, I hadn't considered it that way. So the very material makes it accessible and spreads those seafaring sayings around. Curator: Precisely. And notice the emphasis on labor depicted within each little scene. People working on ships, boats in various states. Consider what values or understandings of maritime labor the images may present and what societal purpose is served when people readily buy a print from the "Prenten Fabriek." Editor: That makes me see the work totally different now. Before it felt like just illustrations of folk wisdom. Now I understand how the production and availability of this kind of print, aimed at children as the print itself proclaims, speaks volumes about social and economic currents of the time. Curator: Indeed. The medium is as much a part of the message as the maritime proverbs. I was hoping to highlight that.