Optocht nrs 83-89 1840

This parade scene was made with pen in brown and gray ink, and brush in gray ink. It's a relatively humble set of materials, but the artist has used them to great effect, rendering the folds and textures of the garments with impressive skill. We can see a wide variety of men, most of them in some kind of religious habit, and all shown at the same eye level, marching to some unknown destination. The way the figures are drawn suggests a quick, efficient process, and there’s no suggestion of a background. This wasn't conceived as a high art object, meant to be displayed on a wall, but rather as something more documentary in nature. This kind of drawing would have been made in preparation for an engraving, which could then be printed in multiples, and widely disseminated. This reproductive process allowed for a much wider audience, creating a visual record of the social structures.