Wenskaart met twee uilen 1890

Theo van Hoytema created this greeting card with two owls using graphite and color pencil. We can consider the public role of images like this when we consider the rise of popular media in the Netherlands at the turn of the century. These are two serious looking owls, but Hoytema was part of a shift to make art accessible and to introduce the idea of beauty into everyday lives. This card is not overtly political, but it is part of a political project of democratizing art. Instead of grand oil paintings for the wealthy, here is a small, intimate drawing that could be sent in the mail. To understand the artist's work more fully we can investigate the history of printmaking, the development of the postal service, and the growth of popular illustration. Ultimately, this small card asks us to think about how art enters the stream of social life.