Familie onderweg 1816 - 1882

Curator: Here we have “Familie onderweg,” or "Family on the Road," an engraving from sometime between 1816 and 1882, created by Edouard Schuler. Editor: It’s stark. The overcast sky, the weary posture of the family... there’s a real sense of hardship conveyed here. It’s almost theatrical, wouldn't you say, given the stark foreground versus dramatic clouds? Curator: Absolutely. The romanticism is evident not only in the sweeping landscape but also, I believe, in the conscious depiction of labor and migration. We're seeing a glimpse of how lives were materially shaped, day by day. The act of creating an engraving, multiple copies to reach a broader audience… it makes the labor implicit in art production align with the labor displayed. Editor: That’s interesting, the mirroring of production… It leads me to consider how images of the family unit—especially the travelling family—functioned as a symbol. There is a potent emotional connection, as we can appreciate the shared experience of struggle, a timeless representation of perseverance despite what might lay in the horizon. Curator: Certainly, the choice to produce an easily reproducible work shifts the meaning as it invites engagement from new and emerging consumer class. This engraving served a need and met an opportunity to be acquired widely in homes or to adorn small books. It makes me wonder what sort of lives these prints lived, pinned to a wall or carefully preserved. Editor: I agree; the engraving possesses both a deliberate intent to memorialize a timeless narrative—hope amidst hardship—and allows us, through art-historical analysis, a deeper sense of shared heritage in the face of daunting circumstances. Curator: Exactly! I find this speaks volumes to the endurance of collective experience. Editor: Indeed. An evocative visual encoding of life's journeys that are fraught, and the ability to look inward to face outward into a better future.