Divers gereedschap before 1869

Editor: We're looking at "Divers Gereedschap" or "Various Tools," an engraving from before 1869 by an anonymous artist, depicting prehistoric tools. They’re laid out like specimens. What jumps out to me is the almost clinical presentation contrasting with the rough, worn textures of the objects themselves. What’s your take? Curator: What strikes me is precisely that contrast. We're looking at the material legacy of labor, of prehistoric tool-making, presented as a scientific study. The print flattens and arranges these objects, extracting them from their original contexts of use and, more importantly, their means of production. Who created these objects and under what conditions? Editor: That’s interesting! I hadn't considered the ‘who’ and the ‘how’ so explicitly. So you are talking about the labor that went into creating these. Curator: Precisely. Each tool represents countless hours of skilled labor transforming raw materials. This engraving strips away the process. It divorces these objects from their materiality, presenting them as static relics rather than testaments to human ingenuity and necessity. Consider how the development of these tools reflects societal evolution and organization. Editor: Right, so the arrangement almost obscures the inherent value as instruments of labor and production... Curator: Exactly! And it raises questions about consumption: how did the availability of certain materials shape tool design? How did tool design impact labor specialization? By focusing on the tools, on these material conditions, we learn something about this prehistoric labor and even maybe prehistoric society as a whole. Editor: So instead of just seeing old tools, we can think about the whole system of labor and resources that went into them! I see that point. Curator: Indeed! Considering them from a materialist point of view opens up new perspectives on their place in history.