De wijn, het spel, de liefde en de tabak 1824 - 1858

This lithograph by Rombertus Julianus van Arum, titled "The wine, the game, the love and the tobacco", offers a window into 19th-century Dutch social life. Produced during a period of significant social and economic change in the Netherlands, the print uses images of popular pastimes to explore cultural values and social norms. The detailed scenes of people drinking, gambling, falling in love, and smoking comment on contemporary life, reflecting both its pleasures and its potential excesses. Note how the artist contrasts the communal enjoyment of wine and games with the more solitary and intimate pleasures of love and tobacco. This work invites us to consider the role of leisure activities in shaping individual and collective identities, and the ways in which they can serve as both a source of social cohesion and sites of potential conflict or moral concern. To fully appreciate this artwork, archival research into the history of Dutch social customs is essential. By examining how the institutions of everyday life shaped individual behavior, we can better understand the complex social dynamics of the 19th century.