Beroepen en ambachten 1822 - 1849

This print, titled "Beroepen en ambachten," or "Professions and Crafts," was made by Alexander Cranendoncq, a 19th-century artist. The image presents a range of occupations prevalent in the Netherlands. It's essentially a visual inventory of social roles. Arranged in a grid, each vignette depicts a different trade, from tailoring and soldiery to butchering and organ playing. The print is most interesting for the way it lays out the social order of the time. Cranendoncq’s choices are telling. He includes both productive work such as the cobbler or the bookbinder and more leisurely occupations. These were the professions deemed worthy of representation. To understand the work more fully, we might turn to archival sources, such as trade guild records or demographic surveys. We can trace the evolving status of the represented professions to gain deeper insights into the social fabric of the Netherlands. The image asks us to reflect on the changing values ascribed to different types of work over time.