Velkommen Jenny Lind! Velkommen 1845

Curator: This piece, "Velkommen Jenny Lind! Velkommen," is a print made around 1845 by Anton Melbye. What are your first thoughts when you look at this engraving? Editor: I'm immediately struck by how dark it is, despite the torches. The shadows feel really heavy, almost oppressive. And there’s a strange stillness, as if everyone is waiting. What exactly am I looking at here? Curator: We see a crowd gathered in what seems to be a city street at night. Given the title, "Welcome Jenny Lind! Welcome," and the artist’s history of maritime and city scenes, it most likely depicts a welcoming ceremony for the renowned Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind. Editor: So the torchlight would be a symbol of illumination, bringing light to the city in anticipation of her arrival? In a deeper psychological sense, she's a beacon of artistic inspiration? Curator: Possibly. The light could be linked to enlightenment through art. Yet, from a historical perspective, it's worth noting the sociopolitical role Jenny Lind played. Remember that the “Swedish Nightingale” also represented cross-national artistic collaboration at a time of shifting cultural borders. The spectacle surrounding her arrival speaks volumes about Copenhagen's desire for international recognition. Editor: I do like the two faces watching from behind the window on the upper level; they strike me as both audience and witness. How was Melbye seeking to connect an increasingly cosmopolitan Europe with something more local? Curator: I read their placement less symbolically, to be frank, than historically. By depicting figures observing the fanfare from windows above, Melbye effectively renders this moment accessible, a common experience irrespective of one's place in society. His attention to those specific figures brings attention to this point. The crowd is the community. Editor: The community anticipating greatness. Curator: In a very performative way, indeed. A celebration frozen in time, carefully staged. Editor: And we now, many years later, also become witnesses to that moment. Curator: Precisely. History as an image.