Ontwerp voor secretaire 1816

Editor: So, here we have Joseph Nussbaumer's "Ontwerp voor secretaire" from 1816, a design drawing in pen, pencil and ink on paper. It’s very architectural, and I’m struck by its rather playful pastel colours. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the Neoclassical aesthetic and technical skill, I see a reflection of early 19th-century bourgeois aspirations. Furniture like this wasn’t merely functional; it performed a role in shaping social identity and projecting an image of status. What does this tell us about access to knowledge and private space during that era? Who would have owned a secretaire like this and what kinds of secrets did they hold? Editor: That's interesting! So, the secretaire itself becomes a symbol of a certain class and their relationship to information and power? Curator: Precisely. Consider, too, the gendering of space – were women, for example, encouraged or discouraged from engaging with the contents held within? The design embodies power dynamics extending beyond the purely aesthetic. Can you see elements suggesting who this piece was designed *for*, or how it relates to the idea of women and work? Editor: Well, now that you mention it, the delicate colours and refined details seem to lean towards a feminine aesthetic. Perhaps it reflects a woman's domain of domesticity and letter writing? Curator: That’s a compelling angle. Maybe we can see this design, and the actual piece if constructed, as tools used to establish particular roles. Editor: It’s incredible how much historical and social commentary can be packed into a seemingly simple design. Curator: Absolutely. Examining historical creations offers such opportunity to expose and challenge underlying power structures and begin the decolonization of our cultural lens. Editor: This has totally changed how I'll look at furniture from now on!