En løbende dreng 1800 - 1803

Jens Juel made this drawing of ‘A Running Boy’ using graphite pencil on paper. While these are traditional art materials, the image feels more like a quick sketch, which is immediately revealing. The lightness of the pencil on the page communicates movement, an ephemerality that is very well suited to its subject. Although quickly rendered, the drawing gives us a glimpse into the fashion and culture of the late 1700s. Notice the details of the boy's clothing, including his long coat, breeches, ruffled collar, and buckled shoes. His hat is held loosely in his hand as though he has just removed it. The sketch gives the sense of the boy belonging to the bourgeois. The drawing is a reminder of how much labor, and wealth, went into creating a fashionable appearance. In this sense, the drawing points us to the world of craft and labor that lay behind the boy’s image. This is an interesting reminder that even a simple sketch can reveal wider social and cultural meanings, challenging our notions of art history.