Trein 1848 - 1881

This print by Lutkie and Cranenburg depicts a train in a simple, almost childlike style, using flat colors and basic shapes. The train cars are stacked vertically, each filled with people, animals, and goods, creating a sense of playful chaos. The composition relies on repetition and symmetry, with each car mirroring the others in shape and structure, yet differing in content. This invites us to consider the underlying structure of categorization and how things are organized. What do these semiotic groupings reveal? For example, the train as a mobile zoo subverts conventional categories by transporting wild animals alongside people, and the cargo blurs the line between necessity and luxury. Ultimately, the print plays with systems of order. It is a formal quality that challenges fixed meanings, suggesting a more fluid and dynamic understanding of the world.