Three labourers 1662

Esaias Boursse created this drawing of three labourers in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-17th century. The work invites us to consider the political and social context of the Dutch Golden Age. During this time, the Netherlands was a major economic and colonial power, with extensive trade networks reaching across the globe, and the Dutch East India Company was at its peak. This wealth was built on the backs of laborers, both in the Netherlands and in its colonies. Boursse's drawing, with its sensitive rendering of these figures, offers a glimpse into the lives of those who toiled to support this prosperity. To understand this image better, we might turn to archival sources, such as trade records and colonial documents. These resources, along with careful attention to the visual details of the drawing, can help us to appreciate the complex relationship between art, labor, and the making of history.