Nachtgezicht op het kanaal bij Haarlem 1745 - 1750

Curator: We're looking at "Night View of the Canal near Haarlem," an engraving by Thomas Major, dating from between 1745 and 1750. It’s part of the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: It's incredibly atmospheric. That almost oppressive cloud cover above the water makes the small illuminated section so much brighter. And the tiny human is somehow vulnerable, almost defiant. Curator: Thomas Major, though British, was deeply influenced by Dutch Golden Age painting, particularly its landscape tradition. This engraving highlights the Dutch Republic's economic prosperity. Notice the carefully rendered details, the ships… they speak of a thriving mercantile society. Editor: Yes, but look closer at the technique. Major worked as an engraver. This image exists because he carefully cuts lines into a metal plate. Consider the labor invested to produce this one impression. This work is also about its means of making, not just representation. Curator: Precisely! Engravings such as these served a crucial role. Before mass photography, they allowed wider circulation of images. People could engage with depictions of the Dutch landscape, wherever they were. These images really promoted a certain kind of civic identity. Editor: And they were commodities themselves, circulated, bought, and sold. And consider the social implication of an image so focused on production… on moving goods on the water. It silently affirms that movement of goods on a human level. Curator: True, the narrative here serves as a form of soft power. I imagine patrons viewing this engraving, thinking of it as a slice of their expanding world. It normalizes expansion, doesn’t it? And presents labor as harmonious… a bit idyllic. Editor: Perhaps, or the material evidence suggests something deeper. Major captures a moment in history defined by both artistry and labour, raising questions of value of each. The human toiling… how should one read that figure given all that cloud coverage? Curator: These prints offer fascinating insights, both in artistic influence, and into the social and cultural values of their time. Editor: Absolutely, each carefully incised line tells a story about craft, commerce, and how art embodies material existence.