Wat den heer Vliegman overkwam 1876 - 1890

Curator: This unusual print, whose title translates to "What happened to Mr. Vliegman," is an intriguing example of narrative art from the late 19th century. Editor: It gives off the feeling of early animation, the way the narrative unfolds in squares like a storyboard, only it feels so much more old-fashioned and hand-drawn. The colors and aged paper give it a strong antique quality, almost like it's been rescued from an attic. Curator: Indeed, the aged quality enhances the work's ties to history, offering commentary on scientific innovation and industrial growth as it touches upon broader anxieties related to class and labor at that time. Editor: There's an almost absurd quality, with Mr. Vliegman appearing to navigate whimsical, unexpected circumstances. I am intrigued by the distillation equipment featured throughout the scenes—it’s practically another character, a device of transformation, and is a reference to alchemy. In some scenes he has even turned into a sort of weather vane. Curator: Right, this motif of transformation emphasizes societal concerns of self and progress as a continuous cycle. How did these advances impact people and relationships between self, environment, and societal order? Consider the narrative itself as a representation of broader changes that touch all levels of being in an ever-changing world. Editor: The final image with Mr. Vliegman at his station beside his distilling equipment—does that speak of being unchanged in essence, of always being tethered back to what roots us? Is it a message of hope or one that cautions about the limits of escapism? Curator: It is the type of closure that leads back to questioning beginnings, a fitting response, and I wonder whether Michelet perhaps sought exactly this of his public? Editor: Yes, that resonates strongly. I leave here with thoughts around these charming sketches that evoke so many more complex themes, even now.