Oude vrouw met dode kip 1824 - 1849

This print of an old woman with a dead chicken was created by Carel Frederik Curtenius Bentinck, using lithography. The nature of this process, one of the earliest forms of mechanical reproduction, bears directly on the image’s content and meaning. Lithography allowed Bentinck to render a wealth of detail. You can see it in the woman's clothing, and the carefully observed textures of her face, the feathers of the chicken, and even the fur of the cat looking on. But this very facility also speaks to an emerging culture of mass media. The image suggests a nostalgic longing for simpler times: an older woman holding a chicken in her lap, next to her feline companion. It seems a straightforward slice of domestic life, yet its availability as a printed image connects it to the rise of industrial capitalism and the commodification of everyday life. Paying close attention to the materials and means of production allows us to see this piece as more than just a quaint scene; it becomes a reflection on labor, class, and consumption.