Mejuffer Alida, wiens zinnen / Hoogmoedig, spytig zyn in 't minnen, / Wordt fraai bedrogen, daar zy Jan / Den schoorsteenveger krygt ten man 1715 - 1813

Curator: So, we have here “Mejuffer Alida…”, created sometime between 1715 and 1813, a print housed at the Rijksmuseum. It’s presented as a sort of sequential narrative, almost like a proto-comic strip. The whole thing has a somewhat satirical feel. How do you interpret this work? Editor: The first thing I notice is that it seems very critical of societal expectations regarding class and marriage. Are you considering the materials used to create this artwork – the engraving itself? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the economics of printmaking at the time. This wasn't high art meant for a wealthy patron. Engravings like these were relatively inexpensive, produced almost industrially by workshops like that of Erven Weduwe Cornelis Stichter, whose name appears on it. It speaks to a burgeoning market of printed material reaching a wider audience. What kind of story do you think such materials could produce? Editor: So, because this was relatively inexpensive to produce, that suggests that its critique was aimed towards, and possibly consumed by, a less affluent, perhaps even a working-class audience? Curator: Precisely. This print then isn't just depicting a narrative of class disparity, it's participating in a broader cultural discourse. What does it mean when a chimney sweep ends up marrying a “Mejuffer"? Are we to consider labor conditions here as part of the composition of work and its subject matter? Editor: That completely shifts my perspective. The act of mass production through engraving gives this piece a critical, almost subversive edge that I hadn't considered before. Thank you. Curator: Indeed. By examining the materials and the means of its production, we uncover layers of meaning often missed in more traditional art historical approaches.