Titelpagina voor: K.H. Spiess 'Reizen door de Paleizen der Vreugde en Verblijven der Welvaart', 1805 1805

Reinier Vinkeles created this print in 1805 as a frontispiece for K.H. Spiess's book, "Reizen door de Paleizen der Vreugde en Verblijven der Welvaart," or "Travels through the Palaces of Joy and Abodes of Prosperity". Embedded in a neoclassical frame, a domestic scene unfolds: a woman leans over a cradle, while a man gestures expansively towards a landscape visible through a doorway. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, representations of the nuclear family served as a metaphor for national identity and moral order. The mother and child embody sentimental ideals of domesticity and female virtue. The father figure embodies the ideal of male citizens shaping the world through commerce and civic virtue. The image flattens the complexities of social experiences, suggesting a world of harmonious gender roles and class stability. This idealized image of family life naturalizes bourgeois values. In considering this print, think about who is included, and perhaps more importantly, who is excluded from this vision of domestic bliss and national identity. Notice the image's emotional appeal and its subtle reinforcement of social norms.