De Negentiende Eeuw 37 (2013) 2

‘Art is money’. Public policy with regard to art education in nineteenth century Belgium.At the turn of the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, art education in the southern Netherlands was still in its infancy. Artistic life however soon blossomed and the young Belgian nation that emerged in 1830 aspired a prominent cultural role on the European continent. Yet the part of politicians in the success of Belgian artists has always remained somewhat unclear. How were the relations between the major educational institutions and the national government? Did nineteenth century politicians care about art and if so, did they have clear ideas about cultural policy? This article explores their ideas about art education, as a part of an emerging national cultural policy.

From alley cat to puss. The emergence of the cat as a pet in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century.This article outlines the emergence of the cat as a pet in the Netherlands in the nine teenth century, in the context of similar developments in Great Britain, France and the United States. After a long history of on the one hand adoration and on the other demonization, the cat was generally accepted in the home as a pet in the late nineteenth century. On the basis of a wide scale study of literature, art, but especially contemporary newspaper articles, it has been possible to discern the steady rise in esteem of the cat throughout the nineteenth century. Artists appropriating the cat as an iconic symbol played a significant role in the process. At the other end of the scale, it was the urban middle-class who first adopted the cat as a domestic companion.

‘Against pastry-cooks and managing directors’. Dutch actors, sociability and countervailing power, c. 1900.Up to now, no systematic research has been done on the origin and development of independent actors’ interest groups circa 1900, an interesting period in the social and theatrical history of the Netherlands. This article takes a detailed look at the pioneering years and the circumstances of failing and fast demise of the first Dutch actors union (‘de Bond van Nederlandsche Tooneelisten’, 1898). Important roles in this union were played by both famous and anonymous actors, stage-managers and directors, as well as by the outstanding playwright Herman Heijermans. The creation and functioning of this early organisation are outlined within a broader scope of interpretation, i.e. social and theatrical developments in the Dutch fin de siècle.