Koekverkoper op het ijs 1868 - 1910

Edgard Farasyn created this print, "Koekverkoper op het ijs", or "Cookie vendor on the ice," using etching techniques. Farasyn, living in late 19th and early 20th century Belgium, was a product of a society undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization. This print captures a moment of everyday life. We see a vendor, likely working class, trying to make a living by selling cookies on a frozen waterway. In the background, there is what appears to be a child, suggesting the presence of family economies. The vendor's ambiguous smile invites us to ponder the narrative of labor and resilience. Prints like this one provide a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people. The work makes visible the often unseen labor that helped shape the cultural landscape of its time. It serves as a reminder of the human stories embedded in the broader historical context.