Hoe zou het zijn, als het anders was 1881

This print by De Ruyter & Meijer presents a series of vignettes, each exploring an alternate reality—a world turned upside down. Recurring motifs appear throughout, pointing to an intrinsic human desire to challenge conventions. Take, for instance, the image of the crocodile dressed as a musician, a satirical twist on the established order. In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were revered and feared, symbols of power and chaos, often associated with the god Sobek. Here, the crocodile's transformation into a musician represents a shift, a subversion of its primal nature. This subversion resonates with carnival traditions where social norms are temporarily inverted, a release of pent-up societal anxieties. Like the ancient Roman Saturnalia or medieval Feast of Fools, where roles were reversed, and societal structures were mocked. The artist taps into our collective memory, revealing the timeless human urge to question and dismantle established hierarchies.