Inhaling van de prinses van Oranje en de kinderen, 1787 1787

Curator: Look at this, a print titled "Inhaling van de prinses van Oranje en de kinderen, 1787," which translates to "Entry of the Princess of Orange and Children, 1787." It's by Mathias de Sallieth and depicts a significant historical moment. Editor: My initial reaction? The level of detail is remarkable for an engraving. You can almost feel the texture of the paper, see the crowd surge, and hear the clatter of the carriage. The lines are so fine, it appears almost photorealistic but is still expressive and carries a very strong visual language related to its social production. Curator: Exactly. The print serves as propaganda, illustrating the Princess's return and emphasizing the support she received from the citizens, burgers and burgeresses, in September of that year. This piece demonstrates how images played a crucial role in shaping public opinion during a politically tumultuous time. Editor: It's fascinating how this print normalizes and aestheticizes the spectacle of power through the medium of print culture, cheapening the access to something formerly confined to other luxury products of art such as history paintings. I wonder how it was produced and disseminated, what sort of labour was involved. We need to see this piece with an analysis of paper production at the time. Curator: We know the engravings were designed to be distributed widely. Their relatively inexpensive production allowed for broader dissemination among the populace, influencing public perception and cementing the narrative of popular support for the House of Orange. The museum houses many artifacts about that industry too, shedding light on those making conditions. Editor: The procession is interesting. The use of commoners, men and women, pulling the carriage seems a very strange means of transport. It emphasizes physical labour in support of royalty, maybe more an allegory about loyalty. It's quite compelling and the architecture in the back becomes simply the setting where material is forced to act. Curator: Indeed. So we see that “Entry of the Princess of Orange" wasn't just about chronicling an event. Editor: For me this opens another world, a network where a visual experience relates strongly to the lives it portrays through production.