Schetsboek met 48 bladen c. 1883 - 1885

This is George Hendrik Breitner's sketchbook, a simple yet evocative object with 48 pages, now held at the Rijksmuseum. The sketchbook is made with modest materials, like woven textile, likely linen or cotton for the cover, and paper for the internal leaves. The cover's texture is visibly coarse, with a plain weave that speaks to its utilitarian nature. The slight stains and imperfections on the cover hint at the book's history of use, perhaps carried around the city of Amsterdam. The creation of this sketchbook is a reflection of the industrial processes of the time, with mass-produced paper and textiles made accessible due to advancements in manufacturing. But it is more than just the materials, it is what Breitner captured on these pages – fleeting moments of urban life. The sketchbook becomes a stage for Breitner's observations, blurring the line between the industrial and the intimate, mass production and individual expression, and craft and art.