Vissersschepen op een lagune 1851 - 1924

Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande created this etching of fishing boats on a lagoon in the late 19th or early 20th century. It evokes a sense of quiet industry, but also the precarity of life for those who depended on the sea. This image reflects the rising interest in the lives of working people that characterized European art at this time, though it stops short of social critique. The artist probably intended it to appeal to middle class collectors who were eager to own picturesque images of Dutch life. This was a time when the art market was growing, and artists like van 's-Gravesande found a niche in the production of affordable prints. To understand the image better, we can look to sources on the art market in the Netherlands and studies of the fishing industry during this period. The history of art is always connected to broader social and economic forces.