Sangerfesten i Arendal 1859. Festen på Skydebanen. 1859

Curator: Adolph Kittendorff's 1859 lithograph, "The Song Festival in Arendal" or, more specifically, "The Party at the Shooting Range", offers us a glimpse into a significant cultural moment in Norway. It's currently part of the collection at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: It looks so busy. My first impression is a feeling of organized chaos, a sea of people underneath this dramatic landscape of flags and a reviewing stand crowded with important looking people. The monochrome lends a serious tone to the festivities. Curator: Indeed, what seems like chaos to us now was likely a meticulously structured social event. Song festivals like these were deeply connected to the rise of national romanticism. The growing middle class wanted a shared cultural identity rooted in folklore, language and landscape. Editor: So these gatherings served as sites for reinforcing national identity. But I wonder who is truly being represented here? Looking at the faces, or rather the approximations of faces in the lithograph, I wonder about the role and representation of marginalized groups at such festivals? Curator: That is precisely the kind of question we should be asking. Historical images like this tend to highlight the dominant narratives. But these song festivals created a space for collective identity formation, although with limitations. Editor: Looking closely, I notice how strategically the flags are placed. They aren't just decorative; they visually stake a claim, almost literally planting the idea of nationhood in the landscape itself. Curator: The lithographic technique itself is important. Prints like these could be reproduced relatively easily, making this imagery accessible to a broader public, reinforcing national sentiments beyond the elites at the party. Editor: I am sure these images served to consolidate power but looking closer now, I see such a diverse range of attire, hats and the hint of faces. It suggests these collective activities also functioned as crucial opportunities for cross-class dialogue at a specific moment in Norway’s socio-political transformation. Curator: Precisely. It highlights how the project of nation building and nationalism intersected with the project of democracy and equality in 19th-century Europe. Editor: Seeing this artwork makes me consider the ongoing role of collective gatherings in constructing social identities, both those included and unfortunately excluded. Curator: Yes, these visual documents help us reflect on what has changed in the century since, and what echoes remain in our contemporary societies.