Spanje. - 14,000,000 inwoners 1850

This printed page, titled ‘Spanje’ or Spain, was made by Jan Schuitemaker, and is from a series called ‘Prenten-Magazijn voor de Jeugd’, or Print Magazine for the Youth. The magazine itself, and the prints within it, are products of nineteenth-century industrialization, made possible by advances in printing technology. The images and text would have been reproduced many times, involving skilled labor in the making of plates, setting of type, and operating the printing presses. The final product reflects a modern sensibility to information design, neatly arranging geographic and architectural views, plus data about the population. The very concept of a ‘magazine for the youth’ speaks to rising literacy and a culture of mass consumption. Rather than individual artworks made by hand, this kind of print relies on a division of labor, and the mass distribution of knowledge. This piece challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft, being a hybrid of geographical education and commercial enterprise. It is an index of a society transformed by industry.