Portret van een eerdere Koning van Korea en Portret van de onderkoning Li-Houng-Tchang in 1878 before 1897

Editor: Here we have, from before 1897, "Portret van een eerdere Koning van Korea en Portret van de onderkoning Li-Houng-Tchang in 1878". They are drawn on paper using pen and pencil and seem to be from a sketchbook. It’s intriguing to see these figures rendered in such a seemingly casual format. What draws your eye to this page? Curator: Well, the first thing that strikes me is the materiality of the sketchbook itself. Look at the texture of the paper, presumably handmade. Consider who was making this paper and with what tools. Was this a commercially produced sketchbook available to many, or was it a custom item, reflecting the status of the person using it? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn’t considered! It is quite intriguing how a sketchbook page adds such a tangible aspect to these important figures. Curator: Exactly. It challenges our expectations. Portraits like these usually involve complex production. We have the sitter, the artist, their respective social statuses, the workshops involved, not to mention how these items might later be consumed or circulated. Focusing on these images' origin in a simple sketchbook, created using pen and pencil, lays bare the infrastructure needed to make these representations meaningful. Editor: So, you are focusing on the labor involved to appreciate these drawings as being from a specific moment in history? Curator: Precisely. Consider the time, effort, and resources put into something seemingly simple. Also, what does it mean for the under-king to have his portrait in the same sketchbook as the King? Is this meant to suggest parity or commentary on class? Editor: I see, that makes the everyday quality of a sketchbook a lens to better see the bigger picture of its context. Curator: Indeed! Focusing on these details allows us to read so much into these otherwise simple images. It's all in how it was created and used. Editor: Fascinating. I'll never look at sketches the same way again. Thank you.