Heste i en stald får vand af en karl 1860s

Lorenz Frølich created this etching, "Heste i en stald får vand af en karl," which translates to “Horses in a stable get water from a servant,” sometime during his career which spanned the 19th century. Frølich lived through Denmark’s transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one, and his art often reflects his deep connection to Danish history and folklore. Here, we see a scene that speaks to the relationship between labor and nature. The image focuses on the everyday life of rural workers and the animals they care for. It’s hard not to consider the politics embedded in this seemingly simple scene, the class dynamics at play as the “karl,” or servant, dutifully provides for the horses, themselves symbols of labor and power. Frølich does not romanticize rural life; instead, he offers a glimpse into the quiet, uncelebrated moments of those whose work sustained the society around him. The scene invites us to reflect on the unseen labor that supports our own lives.