Nieuwjaarswens door de krantenbezorgers te Amsterdam, 1827 1827

Editor: This is “Nieuwjaarswens door de krantenbezorgers te Amsterdam, 1827,” a print made in 1827 by Hermanus Numan. It’s at the Rijksmuseum, and it seems like an old flyer with dense text and a cityscape on top. It feels very formal and a bit… much. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: "Much," yes, in the sense that it’s absolutely crammed with information. It reminds me of those broadsides you’d see in town squares, announcing everything from local news to government decrees. Only, instead of shouting, this one whispers…or, perhaps, serenades, with New Year cheer, aimed at every burgher and resident! The Amsterdam view up top? A kind of romantic vision promising prosperity…maybe even the paper boy’s little wink of seasonal begging? Does it make you feel the hustle of a city trying to believe its own press releases, almost like wishful spells for better tidings. What catches your eye among all the words? Editor: That’s a great reading. You know, now that you mention it, I’m struck by the… poetry in the little bordered section! I completely overlooked it because it felt separated. Curator: Right? The artist gives you an image, a lot of commercial language and – voila - some art! It’s so formally framed… almost daring you to see what you came for! The news peddlers needed something pretty for folks to buy. That, or to see them differently. Which is an interesting perspective of value. Makes one think, in this day and age, what do our vendors wish *us* on a "New Year"? And in what frame do they give it? What will people remember us by, from the broadside that is our attention? Editor: Very profound and very good questions for today! That reframing makes the art feel surprisingly modern somehow. Curator: Precisely. Some things, it seems, stay forever en vogue!