't Is om uw zinnen te vermaaken, / Dat men, o lieve jeugd! u biedt [(...)] 1806 - 1830

Editor: So, this print from the Rijksmuseum is called "'t Is om uw zinnen te vermaaken, / Dat men, o lieve jeugd! u biedt [(...)]", made sometime between 1806 and 1830 by Johan Noman. It's an etching, a sort of densely packed page of little scenes. It kind of feels like looking at a historical meme. What do you make of all this, conceptually and visually? Curator: Oh, it’s absolutely a meme! You’ve hit on something there. Look at the sheer density, like one of those ‘visual encyclopedias’ meant to both educate and entertain. The phrases "o lieve jeugd!" suggests a definite moral undercurrent, doesn’t it? Almost a catalogue of life's little dramas presented for youthful consideration... with some rhyme, even, how delightful! Do you see echoes of older emblem books in its layout? Editor: I do now that you mention it! It’s like a precursor. Each little image trying to impart some sort of…wisdom? Is that what you’re picking up on? Curator: Indeed, wisdom but also amusement, hence "om uw zinnen te vermaaken"! It’s a whole early social media feed compacted onto one page, with equal measure didacticism, comedy, observation! Think of the viewers it may have captivated at the time, maybe prompting giggles in a dim light, what stories did these vignettes whisper? Editor: Wow, that really puts it into perspective. I was stuck on "old," but you've shown me how fresh and relevant this actually is. Thanks! Curator: The past is so good at seeming relevant! Makes me tingle with potentiality and stories... Always.