Pannenkoekenbakster met man en kinderen 1805 - 1844

Editor: So, this is "Pannenkoekenbakster met man en kinderen" made between 1805 and 1844 by Ignace-Joseph de Claussin. It’s an engraving, currently at the Rijksmuseum. The scene is so busy, with lots of details… it almost feels chaotic. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: Immediately, I notice the layering of labour within the domestic sphere represented. The engraving allows us to dissect the scene's social context through its depiction of materials and actions. Look at the fireplace tools – their construction, placement. They tell a story of daily sustenance being manufactured, or ‘produced’ within that household. Editor: So, you’re focused on the objects themselves as markers of the production that sustained this family? Curator: Precisely. The pancake, seemingly a simple food item, becomes a signifier of labour – from gathering ingredients to the skill of cooking it. This everyday activity connects directly to broader economic and social structures. How do the roughhewn furniture and slightly ramshackle construction materials used impact your reading of the image? Editor: It emphasizes the contrast between the effort and output - the furniture is roughly built and rudimentary compared to the complexity of cooking a simple dish, reflecting both material limitations, ingenuity, and labour intensity. Curator: Yes! It exposes the relationship between available resources, the labor necessary to create something from them, and their societal value. And in rendering this relationship as its subject matter, it bridges art and documentation. It reveals the materiality of survival. Editor: It’s a really different lens than just looking at the sentimental family scene that might first meet the eye! I wouldn't have looked for this economic, 'production-based' layer, but that totally changes how I perceive this seemingly simple print. Curator: That's the fascinating element; peeling back those representational layers to uncover the systems and choices inherent to making meaning of everyday lives.