Schetsboek met 21 bladen 1820 - 1872

This sketchbook was made by Hendrik Abraham Klinkhamer, likely during his career as a Dutch artist in the 19th century. Bound with a mottled cover that recalls the patterns of marbling, this book is made of paper, carefully gathered and stitched together. The book is a common format, but the paper is crucial to the creative process. As a relatively inexpensive and easily portable surface, it allows for spontaneous expression. This sketchbook embodies the industrialization of paper production, which made art more accessible, connecting it to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. The physical act of repeatedly filling the pages represents a commitment to practice and observation. Klinkhamer's choice of this accessible medium signals a shift in artistic practice, emphasizing the value of experimentation in the making process. In this way, even a simple object like a sketchbook blurs the line between fine art and everyday craft.