Zittende smoushond 1817

This small drawing shows a sitting Dutch Smoushond made by François Joseph Pfeiffer in the early 19th century. Pfeiffer was part of a generation of artists who helped to establish printmaking as an independent art form in the Netherlands. During this time, the rise of a new middle class led to increased interest in more informal and intimate genres, such as landscape and animal portraiture. Here, the image is rendered through delicate lines, which creates a sense of intimacy and immediacy, something typical of the Romantic movement. The Dutch Smoushond itself had become a popular breed among the working class in the Netherlands, particularly among stablemen and coachmen. Pfeiffer seems to be making a social comment through his choice of subject matter, celebrating the everyday life. To further understand this drawing, one could examine the market for prints and drawings in the Netherlands in the 19th century, as well as investigate the social history of dogs. Art is always embedded in particular social and institutional contexts.