Mother and Child 18th-19th century

Curator: This delicate engraving is titled "Mother and Child," by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki. Look how small it is. Editor: Yes, it's a very intimate scene. I am immediately struck by the stark contrast between the mother's tender embrace and the palpable poverty surrounding her. Curator: Chodowiecki's lines create a world teeming with life, or perhaps, more accurately, a world struggling for it. Notice the rats scurrying along the floor. Editor: Exactly! The material conditions of her existence are so evident. I wonder about the printing process, how many of these were made, and who could afford them. Curator: It is a poignant snapshot, isn't it? A reminder that even amidst the humblest circumstances, love finds a way to illuminate the darkness. Editor: It makes you think about the labor that goes into every single image. Its accessibility is the result of someone's work.