Notities, waaronder adressen 1862 - 1864

Editor: This is "Notities, waaronder adressen," or "Notes, including addresses," a drawing in ink on paper by Johannes Tavenraat, created between 1862 and 1864. It's a peek into what looks like someone's address book. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It is tempting to read this page of notes as a kind of proto-social media. Who were these people? This artifact whispers questions of connection and access in 19th-century Dutch society. Consider the social and economic implications of literacy at the time; whose addresses would have been considered worthy of recording and preserving? What does it mean that this record is now held by the Rijksmuseum? Editor: It's interesting that you call it "proto-social media". I guess an address book was the nineteenth century equivalent of a list of contacts! Does the romanticism style give us clues about the people? Curator: The romantic style suggests an intimacy, an emotional investment in these names and locations. Perhaps Tavenraat’s social circle played an important part in his artistic process or perhaps it represented an aspirational social climb, linking artistic and social capital. I wonder, does this work give you any feelings about contemporary contact lists on your own devices? Editor: Definitely. It highlights how technology changes the way we connect, but not the fundamental desire to connect itself. I hadn’t considered the value judgements implied when curating personal data. I guess some things don't change. Curator: Indeed, technology gives different weight to individual experiences within social contexts. It allows us to reevaluate which elements are truly significant.