Rattengifverkoper 1757

This etching of a rat poison seller was made by Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich in 1757. The itinerant figure in the print walks the land offering his services; he's an example of the trades that sustained the rural population of eighteenth-century Europe. Dietrich was a painter at the court of August III, in Dresden, Germany. But rather than depict the grand figures of the court, he represents the common man. His art is part of a broader Enlightenment trend towards social realism. The rat poison seller can be understood as an allegory for survival. The image draws attention to the complex relationship between humans and animals, and it reflects the precariousness of life in an era defined by disease and scarcity. To interpret this print fully, one would need to research the history of public health, vermin control, and rural life in 18th century Germany. Art like this survives as a fascinating visual record of its time.