Skizzenbuch 1852 - 1853

This album was made by Georg Christian Wecker in 19th century Germany. An album, here embossed in bold golden letters, is a material index of a life. Bound in leather and filled with sketches, the object invites the viewer to consider the intersection of personal history and artistic practice. The album as a physical object tells a story of cultural values, social practices, and the rise of bourgeois domesticity. Its presence suggests a need to preserve memories, experiences, and artistic endeavors and to cultivate personal identity through visual records. Its relatively small size means that it could have been easily transported and stored and it could have served as a repository for artistic ideas. The art historian might consider how similar albums from the same period have been used, what kind of images they contain, and how they were presented. To understand the culture around Georg Christian Wecker and his art we should consider the economics of artmaking at the time and the expectations of the artist.