Man met een hoge hoed op een fiets c. 1869

This is a small etching of a man in a top hat on a bicycle, made by Isaac Weissenbruch, a Dutch artist who died in 1912. The etching is a fascinating artifact of the late 19th century, a time when the bicycle was a relatively new invention, and it speaks volumes about the changing social landscape of the Netherlands. Consider the man's attire, the top hat and suit, the mark of a bourgeois gentleman. Here he is, embracing this new technology, which democratized transportation. In a society rigidly stratified by class, the bicycle offered newfound freedom and mobility to people of all social strata. How might the institutions of art, like the Rijksmuseum where this etching now resides, influence the reception of such an image? And what sources might we consult to deepen our understanding? Perhaps newspaper articles, social commentaries, and even bicycle catalogs from the period would offer invaluable insights into the cultural significance of this simple image. Ultimately, this etching reminds us that art is not created in a vacuum, but is deeply intertwined with the social and institutional forces of its time.