Omslag voor: Jachthonden 1837

Editor: This is the cover for “Jachthonden” or “Hunting Dogs,” from 1837, by Francis Conscience. It’s an engraving. The details in the lettering and the image of the dog are quite remarkable! What catches your eye when you look at this print? Curator: For me, it's the labor and the social implications embedded in this seemingly simple print. Consider the process. We have "dessinés d'après nature et lithographies," which suggests an initial drawing from life and then a complex printmaking process. How many hands touched this to bring it into being? Editor: So, you are less interested in the aesthetic, and more interested in the making? Curator: Exactly! Think about the socio-economic context. Who was buying this "suite de chiens"? Who could afford leisure time dedicated to hunting, and by extension, fine prints like this? It’s not just about dogs; it's about class, labor, and the consumption of art as a status symbol. The paper itself – where did it come from, who made it? It all speaks to the material conditions of the time. Editor: I see what you mean! I hadn't thought about the paper, or who would even want this picture. Curator: This isn't merely a decorative piece; it's a document of its time. The detailed engraving signifies skill, investment, and the intended market's refined taste – a taste supported by the labor of many, often unseen. Editor: Thinking about it as a material object, tied to social class and the labor involved in making it, completely changes my view. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: My pleasure. Considering the means of production provides so much additional context to our appreciation of art.