Jan de Wasscher / Jean-fait-tout 1800 - 1833

Curator: Jan de Wasscher, also known as Jean-fait-tout, from between 1800 and 1833, strikes me as an interesting piece, made with engraving. What's your take on this early comic strip? Editor: The arrangement of the scenes and the clear use of print seem to make it almost factory-like, or like it's anticipating later industrial processes. How would you interpret the making of the art? Curator: Absolutely. Looking at this print, I’m drawn to its function as a form of accessible entertainment and social commentary for a growing literate population. The very process of engraving, a readily reproducible medium, democratizes art production and consumption. Notice the depiction of everyday life and labor across the scenes - what kind of class assumptions do you think are at play? Editor: That’s fascinating! It seems to portray both bourgeois and working-class activities, yet almost in a caricatured, satirical way, through how characters interact with tools and others. This implies an accessibility, since pretty much anyone who sees it can find the punchline in it. It looks like an early form of mass media meant to make its audience self aware through a laugh. Do you agree with this? Curator: Exactly! The materiality of print facilitates wider distribution and therefore plays a vital role in shaping public discourse, don’t you think? Editor: Definitely! Understanding the "how" and "why" of its creation makes me see it with different eyes. Thank you for making me think deeper. Curator: Likewise; looking closely at the medium reveals so much about the historical context.