Nieuwjaarswens 1842 - 1866

Curator: Here we have "Nieuwjaarswens," or "New Year's Wish," an etching and engraving made sometime between 1842 and 1866 by Desiré Nathan Jacobson. The print combines text with an image of what seems to be a riverside scene. Editor: My first impression is how dreamlike and melancholic it feels. The text gives it a sense of time and tradition, and the river scene up top creates such a pensive atmosphere. Look how the scene is framed like it's floating on a weathered page. Curator: The blending of image and text is characteristic of the era's interest in integrating artistic expression with practical communication, where the means of production were not rigidly categorized. Also note that this piece makes use of both etching and engraving, combining intaglio printmaking techniques. Editor: Absolutely, the texture! There's so much fine line detail—in the landscape and in the almost gothic lettering. The paper looks textured too, lending it even more historical gravitas, as though the poem and scene were captured on something timeless and found, like something one discovers in a personal sketchbook. Curator: It really highlights the labor involved in disseminating these new year's greetings. Someone designed this, someone etched the plate, someone printed it, and likely at quite a scale for it to have survived. Editor: Right. And think about the intention. Sending this print wasn't just about marking an occasion; it was about fostering a sense of community through shared experience. What I love about its composition is the romantic style that blends text and image to convey emotion, not unlike creating your own, handwritten personalized card. It speaks of heartfelt reflection. Curator: From a materialist perspective, it speaks to how social relations were mediated through printed materials at the time. These prints became part of the social fabric, objects circulated in gift economies of goodwill and obligation. The hand-drawn type underscores that material production, it being made by someone. Editor: Well, that’s what I find so enchanting, considering its theme and texture as an artifact, as a piece of something personal shared in its own time. Curator: For me it is a fascinating artifact that demonstrates how aesthetic experience could become intertwined with commercial and social practices. Editor: Yes, and to me, how this blending of artistic intention and craft yields such a poignant, enduring beauty.