Elk mensch hij zij dan klein of groot / Moet zorgen voor zijn daag'lijks brood 1848 - 1881

Editor: Here we have a print titled "Elk mensch hij zij dan klein of groot / Moet zorgen voor zijn daag'lijks brood" from sometime between 1848 and 1881, attributed to Lutkie & Cranenburg and hanging in the Rijksmuseum. It gives me this quaint storybook vibe. All these little vignettes depicting everyday life…what do you make of this folksy piece? Curator: It whispers of a world clinging to simplicity, doesn’t it? The colours, like shy smiles, peek through the monochrome like memories struggling to surface. I wonder what “daag’lijks brood” truly meant for those glancing at this print then. A reassurance? A gentle prod? Each frame feels like a chapter in a silent novel. Does it read to you as celebration, or something more subdued? Editor: I think a little of both. There's toil in several panels, a definite “get your hands dirty” message, but also…are those market scenes, hinting at reward for the effort? Curator: Perhaps. I am charmed by how compact each narrative is – miniature universes thriving in isolation. Lutkie & Cranenburg manage to turn economic necessity into intimate theatre. Doesn't it also provoke a curious sense of communal experience? The sharing of struggles and successes? Editor: Absolutely. It’s a tiny mirror reflecting society itself, showing people connected by daily efforts. Looking at the image now, it feels like the ‘folk art’ label undersells it - the art certainly has power. Curator: Precisely! We begin by considering a message about work ethic, yet the print evolves before us; the panels join into one communal identity. What an astonishing achievement! Thank you for pointing the art.