Man de afschaffing van sterke dranken verkondigend aan een groep figuren op straat 1838 - 1912

Editor: This print, "Man de afschaffing van sterke dranken verkondigend aan een groep figuren op straat," by Isaac Weissenbruch, is dated sometime between 1838 and 1912. It looks like an engraving, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The figures are really capturing my attention. How would you interpret the work's significance? Curator: Considering the engraving process, think about its function. This wasn't high art destined for a salon; it was mass-produced, intended for a wide audience. The message about abstinence suggests a specific social context: likely responding to concerns about alcohol consumption and its impact on working-class families. Note the clothing: Does it hint at a particular social class being addressed or targeted by this temperance message? Editor: Good point about mass production and its societal aim! So the choice of engraving makes this accessible, reproducible for distribution... making its message spread faster! I hadn’t considered that! It appears like an effort to sway popular sentiment. Curator: Precisely. And think about the labor involved in creating engravings for mass distribution. It reflects a material and social network—the artist, the publisher, and the consumer all connected through this object and the ideology it carries. What does the materiality of this work say about the artist and intended viewer? Editor: The fine lines create detail that still manages to represent ordinary looking folk, while trying to elicit emotions like sorrow for the dissipation brought about by alcohol consumption… Almost like the labor of engraving elevates the social importance of the teetotalism movement...I appreciate your point about materiality and its relationship to society and artistic intent. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely! Examining art through the lens of its production, distribution, and consumption offers profound insights into its meaning.