Illustration til "Halvhundrede Fabler for Børn" af Hey 1834

Martinus Rørbye created this illustration for "Halvhundrede Fabler for Børn" with pen and ink. Made in Denmark in the first half of the 19th century, the image presents a young child surrounded by an abundance of food – a loaf of bread, and a plate piled high with what appear to be pastries and pretzels. The child gestures towards this feast, and the image becomes a commentary on themes of childhood, innocence, and perhaps even indulgence. In the context of 19th-century Denmark, a period marked by social stratification, such an image could be seen to reflect the privileges of the bourgeois class, for whom such displays of culinary excess would have been commonplace, while for many others, famines were not uncommon. As historians, understanding the fables alongside the social conditions of the time gives us a deeper insight into the cultural values and norms of the society in which this artwork was produced. By consulting historical records we can understand the society in which this image was produced.