Questionnaire for the Biographical Dictionary of Artists - Wouter Verschuur

A rare 1840 biographical questionnaire completed by Dutch painter Wouter Verschuur, offering a unique primary-source insight into his life and career.

This document is a completed questionnaire, or 'Vraagpunten', submitted by the Dutch painter Wouter Verschuur in 1840. It was intended for inclusion in the biographical dictionary 'De levens en werken der Hollandsche en Vlaamsche kunstschilders, beeldhouwers, graveurs en bouwmeesters', compiled by Johannes Immerzeel. The form provides a rare, primary-source glimpse into the professional life of a nineteenth-century artist. Verschuur, known primarily for his depictions of horses and stable scenes, details his training under Pieter van Os and Cornelis Steffelaar, his place of birth in Amsterdam, and his marriage to Guterina Renninghof.

The document is structured as a formal administrative grid, typical of the period's bureaucratic approach to cataloguing cultural figures. It includes fields for the artist's name, their specific area of practice, their teachers, and their travel history. Verschuur's handwritten responses, inscribed in iron gall ink, offer a direct connection to the artist's own hand. The text is printed on aged, fibrous paper, showing the characteristic texture of mid-nineteenth-century stationery. The layout reflects the orderly, systematic efforts of Dutch historians to document the lives of their national artists during the Romantic era.

As a piece of historical ephemera, this print captures the intersection of art history and administrative record-keeping. It is not a painting in the traditional sense, but a vital piece of provenance that contextualises the artist's career within the broader framework of the Dutch art market in the 1840s. The document serves as a record of the artist's self-perception and professional standing at the time, providing researchers and enthusiasts with a tangible link to the past. The clarity of the printed headings contrasted with the personal, cursive script of the artist creates a visually compelling composition that speaks to the rigour of nineteenth-century biographical research.