De Notenkraker, 8 juni 1907 / De Staten-verkiezingen Possibly 1907

This is a cartoon from June 8th, 1907, by Albert Hahn, titled "De Notenkraker/The State Elections." I can imagine Hahn working on this, the lines are so distinct and economical. It makes me think about how much information you can put into a line. The image shows the tensions between political factions, but the way it’s rendered is what I find compelling: the rough, almost coarse texture of the drawing, the exaggerated features of the figures. Those hard, crisp lines make it such a graphic image; there’s no soft blending, no ambiguity in the forms. The lack of shading gives it a flatness, bringing a sense of immediacy, like a poster. It feels like a raw, unvarnished statement. It reminds me that political cartoons have this incredible power to distill complex issues into a single, striking visual. And that's what makes them so effective.