Spelende kinderen van de kunstenaar 1879

Marcellin Desboutin produced this etching, called ‘Children of the Artist Playing’, sometime in the 19th century. It invites us to reflect on the social construction of childhood and the ways in which children's play reflects the values of the broader culture. Desboutin, who spent time in the circle of Édouard Manet, made this print during a period of rapid social change in France, characterized by industrialization and urbanization. In those years childhood became increasingly romanticized as a time of innocence and freedom, separate from the adult world of work. Here, we see two children engaged in imaginative play. The girl is wearing a ‘cage’ or walking assistant, a device used to keep toddlers upright as they learned to walk. The boy, meanwhile, appears to be seated in a chair, cradling a doll. This representation of domesticity could be read as a reflection of middle-class values, emphasizing the importance of family and the home as a sanctuary from the outside world. As art historians, we might examine 19th-century parenting manuals and conduct studies of childhood within the artist's social milieu to understand the cultural values that shaped this image.