Lijst van vogels in het eerste deel van de vogels 1809 - 1814

This page, *Lijst van vogels in het eerste deel van de vogels*, was inscribed by Joseph van Huerne probably sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, with ink on paper. Consider the materials here: paper, likely handmade, each sheet produced through the labor of pulping fibers and pressing them into a thin, uniform layer. It is in this very material, that the traces of its making are visible. The grid-like lines have been inscribed to provide a strict structure. Then the ink, mixed from a recipe known to the writer, applied with a quill or pen. There is no smudging or blotting, but rather the words are neatly aligned in columns. The very process speaks to a social order and a level of education. Handwriting was itself a craft, taught through laborious repetition. Looking closely, we can see the influence of these constraints in the final result. In every respect, it shows a desire for order, perhaps reflective of the society in which this book was made.