Omhoogkijkende man met bontmuts en boek 1712 - 1750

Editor: So, this is “Omhoogkijkende man met bontmuts en boek,” or “Man Looking Up with Fur Cap and Book,” made sometime between 1712 and 1750 by Johann Lorenz Haid. It’s an engraving, and the detail is striking. What catches your eye when you look at this print? Curator: The labor, really. Think of the skill, the hours upon hours spent meticulously cutting those lines into the metal plate. It's easy to overlook that physical process, the sheer material effort that went into producing this image. How does the process of printmaking influence its reception, its place in society? Editor: That’s a good point! The process feels almost invisible at first glance. I was initially drawn to the subject’s gaze, this feeling of upward aspiration. Curator: But where does that "upward aspiration" come from? Not simply from the sitter's expression, but from the very circulation of this *image* as a commodity. Engravings allowed for widespread distribution of images, impacting viewership and potentially shaping cultural values of the time. What kind of labor went into its distribution and consumption, who benefited from that? Editor: So you're saying the subject isn't just someone looking toward the heavens; he's a symbol, maybe a product, of a certain mode of production and dissemination of knowledge, the knowledge contained in the book? Curator: Precisely! Consider how access to these images—and to books—were regulated by class. Even the fur cap becomes significant. Who had access to fur like that? Its presence isn’t just decorative, it situates the subject within a network of material privilege. Editor: That gives me so much to think about; I hadn’t considered the role of class in even the most basic elements, like the fur or the availability of the print. Curator: Seeing the social life *in* the artwork, is a useful means to contextualize history.