Spotprent over de toestand van de conservatieve partij te Leiden, 1873 1873

Editor: This drawing, titled "Spotprent over de toestand van de conservatieve partij te Leiden, 1873," or "Cartoon about the state of the Conservative Party in Leiden, 1873", is by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans and uses pen and ink. It has this kind of melancholy feeling, but it is a caricature. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Let’s think about this drawing not just as a representation, but as a physical object made through labor. Consider the artist, Crans, repeatedly pressing pen to paper, producing this image for circulation. What was the social context of this production? Editor: Well, it seems to be political commentary, published in 1873, relating to an election in Leiden, Netherlands, about the conservative party, probably critical of its state. Curator: Exactly! And how does the medium – the reproducible print – play into that? This wasn’t a unique painting for a wealthy patron, but something made for wider distribution. This is "genre-painting," right? It captures aspects of everyday life. How does that influence our understanding of the Conservative party depicted? Editor: That’s interesting. Because it means more people were able to understand and be a part of the conversation. I guess if he published it widely it meant that the cost of labor was probably lower at the time. Curator: Precisely. Examining its means of production and intended consumption sheds light on the Conservative party's image, but also raises the profile of drawing as social critique. How can labor elevate something beyond craft? Editor: I learned to really consider the cultural factors surrounding how this drawing was made in the first place! Curator: And by viewing a drawing through materiality and social context, we have made a great advancement to understanding its value.