Zieken op het Prinsenhof - Jan Geldorp

A satirical 1902 lithograph by Jan Geldorp depicting a doctor discovering the stock exchange inside a patient's ribcage via an early X-ray machine.

This lithograph by Dutch artist Jan Geldorp, published in the 'Amsterdamsche Courant' on 2 May 1902, functions as a piece of political satire. The image depicts a group of men in a clinical setting, gathered around an early X-ray apparatus. The central joke involves the doctor examining a patient's ribcage via the machine, only to discover a representation of the stock exchange (the 'beurs') inside the chest cavity. This visual metaphor critiques the financial climate of the era, suggesting that the ailments of the establishment were rooted in economic greed rather than physical pathology.

Geldorp employs a clean, illustrative style typical of early twentieth-century newspaper cartoons. The figures are rendered with precise, thin lines, capturing the formal attire of the period, including frock coats and stiff collars. The composition is balanced, with the X-ray machine acting as the central device that bridges the gap between the medical professionals and the patient. The background is kept sparse to ensure the focus remains on the interaction between the figures and the satirical discovery displayed on the screen.

As a historical document, the work captures the public fascination with the relatively new technology of X-rays, which had been discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen only a few years prior in 1895. By juxtaposing this scientific advancement with political commentary, Geldorp reflects the anxieties and preoccupations of the Dutch public at the turn of the century. The print serves as a record of how contemporary media utilised emerging scientific imagery to articulate social and economic criticism. The inclusion of the original caption text provides context for the specific political target of the satire, linking the medical examination to the broader discourse surrounding the Amsterdam stock market during that period.