Farm workers returning home c. 1881

Otto Scholderer rendered 'Farm workers returning home' in charcoal and white chalk on paper. Scholderer created this image during a period marked by significant social and economic change in Europe, including the rise of industrialization and the persistence of agrarian labor. The artwork offers a glimpse into the lives of rural workers, a segment of society often overlooked in traditional historical narratives. The workers depicted here are returning from a long day's work in the fields, their postures conveying a sense of exhaustion. We see their simple clothing and tools of their trade, emphasizing the physical labor involved in agricultural work. The composition seems to capture a fleeting moment, as if the artist sought to preserve a record of this ordinary yet vital aspect of rural life. The artwork invites us to reflect on the dignity and resilience of these workers, whose labor sustained communities and shaped the landscape.