Plattegrond van een verdieping 1825 - 1907

Editor: This is "Plattegrond van een verdieping," which translates to "Floor Plan of a Story," made sometime between 1825 and 1907, by Willem Springer Jr. It's ink on paper, and what strikes me immediately is its precision. It feels very technical and carefully constructed, emphasizing line above all else. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Considering Springer's architectural drawings from a materialist perspective, we might ask, what kind of labor went into producing these plans? This isn’t simply an aesthetic exercise, but a functional design meant to guide construction. Think about the cost of materials like ink and paper. Editor: So, it's less about the "art" and more about the physical reality it represents? Curator: Exactly. The act of drawing is labour and design itself involves intellectual labour; it involves a consideration of available materials, skill and how those things are applied in an economic system to build something. Are the buildings represented here intended for the elite, the middle class, or the working class? Editor: I see your point. Knowing the intended residents could reveal how the materials and craftsmanship would vary. The blueprint serves as both instruction and a reflection of potential consumption and wealth. So how does thinking about it like that help us appreciate the image now? Curator: It moves us away from solely aesthetic value to an understanding of architecture as an economic and social practice embedded in the historical moment of its production and of its intended consumption. How labor and materials informed the work shown and therefore the building’s construction and purpose. Editor: That makes so much sense! Thanks for sharing this different way to read into the image. Curator: Absolutely! Considering these plans this way shifts our focus to the physical and economic structures that make architecture and, more broadly, urban development possible.