Februari 1545 - 1608

Pieter van der Borcht’s etching, "Februari," created around the late 16th century, offers a glimpse into the lives and labors of the working class during the winter months. In this scene, figures are engaged in the hard work of chopping and gathering wood. Consider the back-breaking labor involved, and who typically performed such tasks? The composition invites us to reflect on the social hierarchies of the time, and the division of labor. We see men, likely peasants, strenuously working, their bodies bent to the task, while a distant town suggests a different, perhaps more comfortable, way of life. What did daily life look like for the people in the foreground versus those in the town? The stark, leafless trees and the cold, wintry setting underscore the vulnerability of those who depended on the land for survival. This image is not just a depiction of a month, but a commentary on the realities of class and survival in a changing world. It reminds us of the human cost of societal progress, and the often-unseen labor that supports it.