Verstopte dame wordt door honden aan haar rok getrokken, een tweede dame slaat tegen een uithangbord 1790

This etching by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki, made sometime in the 1700s, captures a chaotic street scene with fine, precise lines. The composition is immediately striking. Note how the artist uses architectural elements, like the building’s corner, to frame the action, drawing our eyes to the two women in distress. The linear quality of the etching, with its dense cross-hatching, creates a sense of depth and texture. The contrast between light and shadow further accentuates the drama of the scene, highlighting the figures and their exaggerated gestures. Semiotically, we might read this image as a commentary on social disruption. Chodowiecki uses the dogs tugging at the woman's skirt and the other woman hitting the sign as symbols of the unruly and the unexpected, challenging the fixed social meanings of order. Even today, the linear precision and careful composition invite us to consider the broader cultural codes embedded within it, questioning what is deemed acceptable behaviour in public.