Spotprent over de oorlog tussen Frankrijk en Duitsland, 1870 1870

This is Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans’ 1870 print addressing the Franco-Prussian War. It encapsulates the tensions of the period, particularly the challenge of maintaining neutrality amidst conflict. The image depicts a journalist overwhelmed by a deluge of information. We see newspapers strewn about, telegrams flying, and a chalkboard filled with updates from the front lines. Crans uses the journalist to embody the stress and confusion of trying to remain objective amidst the chaos of war. The role of the press during the conflict was fraught with challenges. Journalists were often accused of bias, and their reporting could have significant political and social consequences. The print underscores how neutrality is not merely an intellectual position but an emotional and psychological struggle. What does it mean to stay neutral? What biases do we bring to the table? This print asks us to confront these questions.