Twee voorstellingen uit Salzmann's Carl von Carlsberg 1784

This print, "Twee voorstellingen uit Salzmann's Carl von Carlsberg," was created by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki in the late 18th century. The print illustrates scenes from Christian Gotthilf Salzmann’s popular book, "Carl von Carlsberg," a key text in the German Philanthropist movement. These reformers believed education should nurture children's natural development, and instill morality through experience, not rote learning. This is reflected in the scene where Carl appears to be welcomed by a crowd, perhaps after demonstrating his virtuous character, contrasting with the image of a fenced-off building in the roundel to the right. Chodowiecki was a leading printmaker in Berlin, and his work reached a broad audience. He was deeply interested in Enlightenment ideas and social reform. His illustrations for books like "Carl von Carlsberg" helped to disseminate these progressive ideas to a wide readership. Historians consult archives, letters, and publications from the period to fully understand the context of artworks like this, revealing the social and intellectual currents that shaped their creation and reception.