Hesten i vandet. Prøvetryk til Chr. Winther og M. Rørbye, "25 Billeder for små børn" 1846

Curator: This lithograph, "Hesten i vandet," or "The Horse in the Water," dates back to 1846 and is attributed to Adolph Kittendorff. It's a test print intended for a children's book collaboration. Editor: It’s surprisingly delicate, even fragile-looking. The line work is so fine; the horse seems almost spectral as it moves through the shallows. Curator: Yes, Kittendorff’s draftsmanship is remarkable, especially considering its intended audience. It speaks volumes about 19th-century expectations for children's visual literacy. Note the romantic sensibility, harking back to idealized pastoral scenes and a longing for simpler times. Editor: And that lithographic stone! The process requires such meticulous labor, multiple stages of drawing, etching, and printing…each impression would be a unique trace of that process, that physical work. Were children then more attuned to the labor behind these images, the cost of their making? Curator: It’s a question worth pondering. The production context is significant. Picture this work as a commodity, not just a quaint image. Consider the emerging print culture in 19th century Denmark, catering to a growing middle class eager for education and entertainment for their children. Editor: That slightly awkward, unfinished lower section—that expanse of empty paper, that reminds us of the economics inherent to test printing: paper, ink, and the artist's time were precious commodities. Curator: Precisely! These images helped to cultivate values of nationalism and moral uprightness. Notice the way nature is portrayed -- harmonious, beautiful and orderly! A space where a child can imagine safely finding himself. Editor: Safe but also disciplined. Even a ‘simple’ landscape becomes a site of cultural instruction when translated via materials like the lithographic stone and the printmaking press, reaching across social strata in a specific form. Curator: Viewing Kittendorff’s print, we gain insight into the layered history of Danish art, children's literature, and the burgeoning print industry. Editor: Indeed. The horse is not merely a figure on paper. It's a complex reflection of labor, social aspiration, and Romantic ideals—embedded within the very fabric of its production.