Vogelen 1850 - 1881

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "Vogelen," a lithograph print created by Dirk Noothoven van Goor sometime between 1850 and 1881. What strikes you when you first see it? Editor: It feels like a page ripped from a charmingly old-fashioned children’s encyclopedia. There’s a delicate quality to the drawing and a methodical arrangement, but it's undeniably didactic, right? Birds neatly compartmentalized in boxes. Curator: Indeed. And it's presented under the title "Prenten-Magazijn voor de Jeugd", or "Print Magazine for Youth", so didacticism is surely at play. The selection of birds feels significant; what do these species suggest, if anything? Editor: The ostrich and secretary bird bring in ideas of the exotic Other, as their presence clearly marks an African imaginary. Look at how these creatures were introduced to children during the rise of the colonial project; there’s a potential power dynamic embedded here. What sort of gaze are we encouraged to take on the non-European world through these carefully arranged images? Curator: An interesting perspective. And, the visual language certainly evokes that. I notice how the animals presented each tell a story rooted in keen observation: the Secretary Bird in Africa consuming a snake reflects the animal’s place in its ecosystem. This reflects deeper truths. This kind of clear presentation has mnemonic and symbolic value to young minds, right? Editor: I suppose so. Yet these images normalize a hierarchy, visually reasserting a human dominance over the natural world. Each bird is like a specimen under glass, losing its essence. Aren't they more than data? Where's the mystery, the wildness? Curator: That mystery exists, I think, in what remains unsaid. It offers a window to another world. Editor: Agreed. It’s a cultural document, a snapshot into a time when knowledge was conveyed in this particular structured and, yes, charming way, reflecting not only scientific aspirations but also a nascent world-view delivered for the youngest citizens. It opens discussions around what stories we are actually telling. Curator: A crucial point. This image provides not just facts, but insights into broader social constructions of nature, and humanity’s place within it. Thank you.