Engelse politieman en jongen 1858

Editor: Here we have Gerrit Postma’s "Engelse politieman en jongen" from 1858, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It appears to be a quick sketchbook page done in pencil. I’m struck by how informal and almost playful it feels, more like character studies than a finished work. What's your read on it? Curator: Playful is spot on, I think. It has this feeling of catching little snippets of life, hasn’t it? A London bobby, a curious lad… I find myself wondering about the stories behind each figure. Notice the policeman. There is something so rigid and formal there. How does it feel different from the sketch of the "bonnet du vieil anglais?" Editor: Definitely! The policeman is stiff and proper, while the others seem caught in more candid moments. I mean, is that an actor? How would these figures have existed together? The juxtaposition is kind of funny, actually. Curator: Exactly! And maybe that is the key! It feels almost like theatre, doesn't it? Do you think this theatrical impression suggests something about Dutch perceptions of English life at the time? How does the light touch of pencil change our experience of the subject? Editor: I never would have thought of that connection! Seeing these images sketched together helps highlight cultural curiosity. You know, looking closer, I appreciate how much Postma captured with so little detail. Curator: Precisely! It's in the details he *chose* to include. The turn of a head, the set of a jaw… Sketchbooks, like memories, aren't about perfect reproductions but about holding onto what strikes us most. Thanks, that insight deepened my own sense of this sketchbook page.