Diplom til taksigelsesskrivelser fra Museum for Nordiske Oldsager 1883

Editor: This engraving from 1883 by A.P. Madsen is titled "Diplom til taksigelsesskrivelser fra Museum for Nordiske Oldsager." The detail is incredible, it almost feels like an artifact itself. How do you interpret this, considering its context as a museum artifact and its clear design function? Curator: This work gives us a peek into the self-fashioning of museums in the late 19th century. It's not just an image, it’s a statement about Danish national identity and the museum's role in constructing it. The Museum for Nordic Antiquities clearly wanted to be seen as a guardian of cultural heritage. Editor: So, it's a kind of... propaganda? The museum showing itself as a protector of the past? Curator: In a way, yes. The style echoes historical documents but it's also creating its own historical narrative. Note how it appropriates and displays Indigenous symbols while overlooking their cultural nuances. How do you see that playing into the bigger picture of that time period? Editor: It is striking how it frames this ancient Nordic culture. There's this idyllic landscape behind it, which is very romantic, contrasted by all these artefacts from war, pots, tools… a civilisation is coming to life again for the viewers of this piece. Curator: Precisely! Museums became stages where nations performed their origins. They solidify this power dynamic in deciding which story gets told. It is vital to acknowledge this framing when visiting cultural institutions today. Editor: That’s fascinating. It reframes my view of museums in general. Thank you, it helps appreciate how an artifact of a museum’s self-promotion campaign holds power and communicates culture and history, even to this day.