Voorlezer 1690

Jacobus Harrewijn created this small engraving called ‘Voorlezer’ in the Netherlands, sometime between 1675 and 1725. The title, ‘Voorlezer,’ translates to ‘reader’ and refers to the smartly dressed figure holding a document. This work engages with the rise of literacy among the Dutch middle class in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The Netherlands was one of the most literate societies in Europe at the time, and this print reflects the growing demand for printed materials, as well as the increasing role of reading and writing in daily life. The ‘reader’ seems to be checking a document for the man seated at the desk. Prints like this one were also produced and collected as commercial commodities and marketed to a new public of art consumers. By studying the history of printing and publishing in the Netherlands, we can learn more about how this image circulated and was understood by its contemporary audience.