Gezicht op de Lange Poten en het Plein te Den Haag 1686 - 1711

Editor: This engraving, "Gezicht op de Lange Poten en het Plein te Den Haag," whose creator is listed as anonymous, dates to sometime between 1686 and 1711. It's incredibly detailed; I'm struck by how this print medium can still evoke the stillness of a serene afternoon. What stands out to you in this particular piece? Curator: What grabs my attention is how this print highlights the *process* of urbanization. Think about the labor involved: the engraver meticulously carving into the metal plate, the paper-making process itself. The image depicts an ordered, almost sterile environment. Who benefits from this controlled representation? Is it a celebration of the rising merchant class, perhaps subtly advertising a desirable lifestyle built on consumption and colonial extraction? Editor: Consumption? How do you read that in a cityscape? Curator: Consider what's absent. Are there vendors or signs of labour openly visible? The figures in the foreground seem leisurely – consumers rather than producers. The meticulous detail, especially in the architecture, screams affluence. We need to examine how this image actively constructs a vision of Dutch prosperity and civility. What is shown versus what is *not* shown becomes extremely relevant when exploring the context of labour and materials. Editor: I see your point. The *lack* of visible labor sort of… reinforces the comfortable lifestyle. It’s a very curated picture. Curator: Precisely. And the very *means* of its production, the print medium, makes it easily reproducible, expanding the circulation of this idealized vision, and contributing to the cycle of production and consumption on a societal scale. It’s all interconnected. Editor: That changes how I view the engraving. I will certainly look at it through that lens now! Thanks for sharing these novel thoughts.