De Notenkraker, 24 augustus 1907 / Het Bossche Katholieke Congres Possibly 1907 - 1924

This is a satirical cartoon printed in 1907 by Albert Hahn, using ink on paper. Look at this fowl—a chicken wearing a top hat! I can just imagine Hahn hunched over a table, meticulously crafting each line, cross-hatching to build up areas of tone and shadow. The physical act of carving those marks is so immediate and hands-on. I wonder what Hahn was thinking as he drew this? The cartoon presents a critical view of the Catholic Congress at 's-Hertogenbosch. He’s using this barnyard scene as a metaphor for the social and political issues of the day. Hahn probably felt compelled to express his views through this work and engage with wider public discourse, using a bit of humor to maybe provoke thought. There’s a kind of honesty in that gesture, a desire to connect and maybe shake things up a little. And that, my friends, is what keeps the conversation of art alive.