Illustrationer til "Billedbog for børn. Tegnet af Otto Haslund og Pietro Krohn med Vers af J. Krohn" 1871

Harald Jensen made this series of illustrations for a children's book using etching in Denmark. The book was a collaboration with Otto Haslund and Pietro Krohn, and it’s interesting to consider what these images might have meant to children at that time. Look at the images, and consider the values they might have conveyed. There’s an image of a horse and a man, and the others depict aspects of nature. What kind of relationship between humans and nature do they suggest? Are the illustrations intended to educate, or to offer moral guidance? The visual codes used here – the idyllic rural scenes, the careful observation of nature – evoke a specific sense of Danish identity. Cultural historians would research the traditions of Danish children’s literature to understand the role this book played in shaping young minds. And we might also look into the history of educational institutions.