Kasteel en dorp 1865 - 1875

This is ‘Kasteel en dorp’, or ‘Castle and Village’, a print made by George Lodewijk Funke in Amsterdam. It belongs to a series titled ‘New Dutch Children’s Prints,’ and indeed, it was meant to be cut up and assembled into a three-dimensional scene. The print is a fascinating example of how images could be mass-produced, and marketed as both educational and entertaining. Lithography, the printing process used here, allowed for relatively quick and inexpensive reproduction. This meant that detailed images of architecture and landscape could be brought into the home, and manipulated to create imaginative play. The labor involved is subtly present: the artist’s hand in the original drawing, the printer’s skill in transferring that image, and of course the child’s work in assembling the final product. Looking at it today, we can appreciate how this humble print bridged the gap between art, craft, and commodity, inviting interaction and creativity through its very construction.