Spotprent op het ingevroren Nederland, 1871 1871

Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans made this print in 1871, it's a commentary on the mood in the Netherlands during the Franco-Prussian war. The central figure, bundled in furs, smoking a pipe, is a personification of the Netherlands. Around him we see vignettes of the impact of the war. At the top a boat and a train are frozen. In the lower-left corner soldiers stand guard at a border post marked "Frankrijk" or France, preventing any crossing, while a figure flees. At the bottom right an angel floats in a small boat. The print is a direct response to specific historical events. We can examine newspaper archives and political pamphlets from the period to better understand the public mood during the war. The artist uses visual metaphors to express complex political opinions, inviting us to consider the role of art as a form of social commentary. By studying this print, we can learn a lot about the cultural and political climate of the Netherlands in 1871.