Trap des ouderdoms 1725 - 1780

Here we see an undated woodcut, Trap des ouderdoms, or "The Ladder of Old Age," by Johannes Kannewet II, which resides in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. In the print, a series of figures ascend and descend a staircase, each step representing a decade of life, from the innocence of youth at the bottom, to the frailty of old age at the top, concluding with death. The cultural context of the Netherlands at the time was dominated by religious beliefs about morality and life. What’s striking is how the print uses imagery from everyday life. People are shown engaging in ‘Dagelijks Werk,’ daily activities, whether it is tradesmen at work or the domestic labor of women at home. These images reflect the cycle of life, but also question what labor, class, and gender roles mean in the face of mortality.