Prins Willem I, na de mislukte moordaanslag door Jean Jauregui in 1582, verpleegd door Charlotte de Bourbon 1840 - 1899

Curator: This pencil drawing from between 1840 and 1899 depicts “Prins Willem I, na de mislukte moordaanslag door Jean Jauregui in 1582, verpleegd door Charlotte de Bourbon." The artist is anonymous. Editor: It's a busy composition. It looks like it's illustrating a key historical moment. How would you interpret this work? Curator: As a materialist, I'm particularly interested in the drawing's creation as a commodity. Why pencil? It suggests accessibility, a medium cheaper than paint. Given the historical subject matter and the late date, could this be related to rising print culture? Editor: That’s interesting; I hadn't considered that. So, you’re suggesting that the material itself tells a story about how history was consumed and reproduced at this time? Curator: Precisely! Consider the labor involved in creating multiple images for dissemination. Who was the intended audience? What kind of social function would that material reproduction have served at that time? Was it destined for reproduction in history books perhaps? Editor: That shifts my understanding of the drawing entirely! I was so focused on the narrative of the prince's recovery, but thinking about how it might have been distributed changes things. Curator: The mode of production, the accessibility of pencil as a medium – these factors are as crucial as the scene depicted. Think about the politics embedded in the material itself, the labor, the intended market. What story does that reveal? Editor: I see, so, instead of thinking only about what is represented, we should analyze the process of how the picture was produced and for whom? That's a very different lens. Curator: Exactly! The medium *is* the message, in a way that makes visible these economic, social structures behind the image. Editor: I learned a lot about materiality from our discussion! Thank you! Curator: A fresh pair of eyes is a gift in these endeavors. The more we consider materiality, the more complex the image gets!