Het spel van de reis om de wereld 1876

Curator: Here we have “Het spel van de reis om de wereld,” or “The Game of Around the World Travel,” a graphic print from 1876 attributed to Gebroeders Koster. It's an engraving, a very detailed one at that. Editor: It looks like a board game spun out of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days.” I immediately think of industrial production, and the mass-produced materials would allow it to spread literacy. It has the air of something informative, as well as escapist. Curator: Precisely! It merges entertainment with the spirit of adventure and discovery, echoing the popular fascination with global travel at the time. Consider the circular layout with vignettes, almost like stations, creating a symbolic journey around a central world map. Each picture becomes a memory, loaded with expectations. Editor: I notice how meticulously rendered each of those little images are. Even the text is carefully lettered. This piece isn't just about representing the story of global travel. Look closer— the act of producing and distributing such a visually intensive piece must have required an extensive network of labor. How did the costs translate? Curator: Think of the history! This piece isn't merely illustrative; it signifies cultural dreams of the era. Those icons evoke everything—technology, global exchange, colonization! Editor: And labor! Think of the printmaking presses and the network for distribution. These material networks would determine consumption. I wonder if those that purchased these materials came from varied economic statuses? Curator: Undoubtedly a cultural object revealing its place within a larger network of aspirations! Editor: I am looking closer now— and appreciating the work that went into this beautiful material representation.