Feest aan boord van een schip c. 1908 - 1915

Editor: This intriguing work, titled "Feest aan boord van een schip," or "Party on Board a Ship," dates back to sometime between 1908 and 1915. The materials seem to be watercolour and coloured pencil on toned paper. It gives off quite an organised and celebratory feeling, but who created it and what can you tell me about it? Curator: Look at how they are placed. See the life preserver? What does the city "Utrecht" beneath H.M. Pantserschip suggest? Editor: Possibly, Utrecht might be the ship’s port of registry? It looks like everyone is gathered together, celebrating something, but also formally dressed. The naval uniforms, perhaps signify more than just a social gathering. Curator: Indeed. The image transmits order, power, hierarchy. Notice anything about the gender? The symbolism hints at social memory, cultural scripts being played out, maybe anxieties as well. What’s feast without excess? Editor: I see mainly men in positions of power. Only a handful of women are shown as the companions. Curator: Reflect on the life preserver. What emotions come up for you? Are they meant to celebrate lives that were rescued or the symbol for what it suggests; that life in the ocean requires extra gear. Editor: A lot of celebration on something so vital for people's safety! That gives me more ideas about this now, thanks. Curator: Me too! I like seeing all these historical symbols re-imagined by people now. Editor: So, a seemingly simple snapshot actually encapsulates deeper cultural and social meanings!