Schetsboek met 27 bladen c. 1888 - 1891

This is a sketchbook with 27 pages, created by Willem Witsen, though the precise date is unknown. It's bound in a simple, sturdy textile, a material produced en masse during Witsen's time. The sketchbook is not just an object; it represents a whole system of labor and distribution. From the cultivation of the flax or cotton, to the factory workers who wove the fabric, to the bookbinders who assembled the sketchbook, many hands contributed to its existence. Its materiality speaks to the democratization of art supplies in the late 19th century. The availability of affordable sketchbooks allowed artists like Witsen to capture fleeting moments and develop their ideas outside of the formal studio setting. The worn cover tells its own story of use. Thinking about the social and economic context of this object allows us to appreciate not only the art within, but also the broader world of making and consumption in which Witsen lived and worked.