Lieve kind'ren op deez' prent, vindt gij velerlei vermaken; / Maar denk dat gij nooit om 't spel, uwen leertijd moogt verzaken 1819 - 1840

Curator: This etching, titled "Lieve kind'ren op deez' prent, vindt gij velerlei vermaken; / Maar denk dat gij nooit om 't spel, uwen leertijd moogt verzaken," which translates to "Dear children on this print, you will find many amusements; / But remember that you must never neglect your studies for the sake of play" was created sometime between 1819 and 1840 by Alexander Cranendoncq. Editor: It's so neatly composed, almost like a proto-comic strip, and there’s a charming naiveté to the line work, quite striking. Curator: Indeed, Cranendoncq has crafted a grid of scenes. Notice the arrangement of the vignettes. It presents an almost pedagogical display of children at play. We can identify a very clear message being presented. Editor: A prescriptive message it would seem! I see the Dutch text inscribed atop the image – a caution about balancing recreation and education. It speaks to a rising middle class. Were children, for the first time, granted leisure, their diversions were suddenly a matter of some discourse, I'd wager? Curator: Certainly, you are observing not just children playing, but also a commentary on childhood itself. It reminds us that depictions of childhood have always been infused with the values of the culture producing them. How intriguing to consider these specific games and interactions! Observe the game with sticks. The seesaw game. What systems of order and behavior are enacted here? Editor: Right. Look closer. Is the system entirely playful? A child raising his lash upon another isn't altogether merry, is it? Considering this image alongside, say, children's labour during the industrial revolution… one really starts to question childhood’s so-called innocence and simplicity. Curator: It's remarkable how Cranendoncq uses simple lines and compositions to raise rather profound questions. The use of space is crucial. Note how the vignettes function individually, and how together they become a meditation on the structures imposed by society at the time. Editor: Precisely. This wasn't simply a pleasant tableau. The artist delivers, by way of ink, the layered negotiations and subtle oppressions involved when we look at "play." It offers insights, still pertinent to how institutions, even pleasurable ones, manage our behaviors.