De Notenkraker, 21 september 1907 / In het Volkskoffiehuis "De Ned. Leeuw" Possibly 1907 - 1921

This is Albert Hahn's cover for "De Notenkraker" from September 21, 1907, a Dutch satirical magazine, made with some kind of print medium, perhaps lithography. Look at the way Hahn uses hatching and cross-hatching to create tonal variations. It’s a system, right? But within that system, there’s a lot of room for flexibility. Notice that the way he renders the tablecloth isn't the same as the way he renders the server's clothes. This shows a deep understanding of mark making as a process that's both structured and open to intuitive decisions. The texture isn’t tactile but visual, an illusion crafted through careful lines. Take the server’s face, for example, where the lines around his eyes hint at weariness, or maybe just knowing cynicism. It's a very spare image, but the artist manages to hint at more than what is explicitly depicted. The image brings to mind other satirists of the period, like Honoré Daumier, and their shared project of social critique. It's all part of an ongoing conversation about power, representation, and the artist's role in society.