Schetsboek met 8 bladen 1909

This sketchbook was made in 1909 by George Hendrik Breitner, using paper, bookbinding and covering materials. Look closely and you will notice the way that the book is bound, which gives it its stability and allows it to open and close smoothly. The cover has a marbled effect, common at the time, achieved by floating pigments on a liquid surface and then transferring them to the paper. While this technique might seem purely decorative, consider the labor involved in its production, from the sourcing of materials to the skilled craftsmanship required for bookbinding. The sketchbook, in its modest way, thus embodies a whole network of social and economic relationships. We often think of sketchbooks as intimate objects, reflecting the artist's personal vision. But considering the materials and making of this object reminds us that even the most personal creations are embedded in a wider world of labor, trade, and material culture.