I høstens tid 1820 - 1908

Editor: This is "I Høstens Tid," or "In the Autumn Time," by Lorenz Frølich, created between 1820 and 1908. It's an etching, ink, drawing, and print— quite a mix! I’m struck by the way it romanticizes rural life, almost like a staged tableau. What's your take? Curator: That’s a good starting point. Consider when this piece was created. It coincided with a rising interest in national identity. How might images of rural life like this one have been used to construct and promote a particular idea of Danish culture and its values? Editor: So, it's less about documenting reality and more about creating an idealized version of it for a purpose? A sort of... propaganda? Curator: Propaganda might be a strong word, but definitely a carefully curated representation. Notice the family grouped by the haystack. Think about who is absent, what labour isn't represented. Whose stories get told, and whose don't, is always a central question. Who do you think was the intended audience? Editor: Well, probably not the farmers themselves. Maybe a wealthier, urban audience who wanted to feel connected to the land? Perhaps an upper-class attempt at finding national roots? Curator: Exactly. And how does presenting this image in a museum like SMK reinforce or challenge that historical context? What role does a public institution play in shaping our understanding of these national narratives today? Editor: Wow, I hadn’t considered the museum itself as a shaper of the message. This print is far more layered than I initially thought! I’ll definitely look at other rural scenes from this period with a more critical eye now.