"Apotekeren" 1778 - 1780

Editor: We're looking at "Apotekeren," also known as "l'Apothicaire," made between 1778 and 1780 by Georg Christian Schule. It’s a print – an engraving with watercolour – and the figure seems to be a caricature of an apothecary. He’s holding a rather large syringe-like object, and there’s smoke billowing out. What's your take on it? Curator: Let’s think about the materiality of printmaking at this time. Engravings like this allowed for the mass production of images, making satire and social commentary widely accessible. Consider the labour involved: the engraver meticulously transferring the design onto the plate, the printer producing multiple copies, and then the individual applying the watercolor. It’s a complex production process that brought this critique of the apothecary’s profession to a broad audience. What kind of commentary might it be making, thinking about class and consumption? Editor: Perhaps it’s about the perceived power and potential misuse of medicine by the upper classes? Curator: Exactly. The size of the syringe suggests excess and perhaps quackery, playing on anxieties about the profession. And note the hat at the bottom – a symbol of the apothecary’s profession carelessly discarded. Schule cleverly uses these visual cues alongside accessible printmaking techniques to democratize commentary on social issues. Does considering the labour and the reach of this artwork shift your understanding? Editor: Absolutely. I was initially focused on the image itself, but thinking about the production process and its distribution changes everything. It emphasizes how the medium itself can be part of the message. Curator: Indeed. It makes you consider not just what's depicted, but how its form allowed the critique to reach its intended audience, engaging them in this societal discourse through material culture. Editor: I will certainly be thinking more about the labor behind artworks. Curator: Me too. It puts this image into a very useful perspective!