Spotprent op de oprichting van vele handelsbanken, 1863 1863

Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans created this print in 1863 using what looks like lithography, a medium that perfectly captures the detailed lines and tonal variations crucial to caricature. The composition is sparse yet evocative, dominated by a well-dressed man centrally placed amidst an array of vacant benches and chairs. Each seat is labeled with the name of a bank, implying a glut in the financial sector. The perspective cleverly foreshortens the scene, making the benches appear to stretch into an almost infinite distance, thus exaggerating the proliferation of banks. The artist uses the semiotic language of public furniture to symbolize stability and accessibility, but the emptiness suggests the opposite—perhaps overextension or instability. The figure in the background adds a layer of dynamism, as he is about to smash a bench. Crans plays with the idea of representation itself; benches stand in for banks, raising questions about the solidity of financial institutions and the very structures that underpin economic confidence. This is not just a cartoon but a commentary, using formal devices to destabilize the viewer's understanding of the financial world.