De Notenkraker, 19 oktober 1907 / Amsterdam III - Ridder Piet Possibly 1907 - 1919

This is a black and white image of the front page of ‘De Notenkraker’ from 1907 by Albert Hahn. It looks like a print, with all those hatched lines made by the artist. I wonder what Hahn was thinking when he drew this? The figure's bandaged head and arm and that dejected lion really give you a sense of things not going to plan. The lion with the fleur-de-lis on its shield looks so sad, I almost want to give it a hug. But Hahn must have been thinking, “How can I convey the right message?". It’s not just about drawing; it's about feeling it too. The figure reminds me of Daumier, who also did satire, though Daumier used lithography and a looser line. Hahn's work has that fin-de-siècle illustrative feel. It makes me think about how artists are always in conversation, building on what came before, trying to say something new.