Doornroosje (de schoone slaapster) c. 1889 - 1906

Curator: This watercolour illustration, "Doornroosje (de schoone slaapster)," by opvolgers Charles Burckhardt, made sometime between 1889 and 1906, depicts the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty as a series of vignettes, almost like a comic strip. There’s a whimsical feel to the composition; the colors are soft, and the characters seem frozen in time. How do you interpret the meaning behind such a specific narrative choice in that period? Editor: Well, the way this story is presented really strikes me. The breakdown into separate, contained scenes almost reminds me of a textile or manufactured object with repeated elements. Is there any connection to industrial processes implied here? Curator: Precisely. The late 19th century witnessed a boom in both mechanized production and visual storytelling. These little scenes, rendered in watercolor, harken back to handcraft. But then consider their sequential arrangement, replicating manufactured seriality, possibly questioning the mass production and the commercialization of art. What’s the effect of telling the story this way, instead of one single scene? Editor: So, instead of a grand romantic painting, it’s fragmented. It’s as though the story, normally consumed as a unified narrative, becomes modular, and therefore potentially accessible to everyone in a new, reproducible way. That kind of accessibility seems linked to industrial ideas of broader access, as well. Curator: Good observation! We are left to wonder how this new storytelling through repeating images also helped shift consumption of folk narratives. This really moves away from traditional modes of representing well known stories. It's quite intriguing. Editor: Exactly! Thinking about the methods behind artistic choices sheds a new light on the whole piece, it’s quite informative.