Deze rijden en rotsen om van te beven, / Zoo zagtjes maar voort, en maken geen leven 1781 - 1828

This undated print by Alexander Cranendoncq, now in the Rijksmuseum, shows various horse-drawn carriages. It's made using etching, a printmaking technique where lines are incised into a metal plate with acid, then inked and pressed onto paper. The material quality of the print, its lines and the way the ink sits on the page, gives it a distinctive look, somewhere between a technical diagram and a lively illustration. This aesthetic reflects the industrial process used to create it, different from a unique drawing or painting. Looking at the image itself, we see not just transportation but also social stratification. Each type of carriage implies a certain level of wealth and status. There’s a lot of labor involved, from the coachmen to the horses, all contributing to the display of luxury. Thinking about the materials, processes, and context of this print, we can see that it’s not just an image but a product of its time, reflecting the social and economic realities of 19th-century Netherlands.