Jongen en meisje met een accordeon 1884

Henri De Graer created this print of a boy and girl with an accordion using etching, likely in Belgium during the late 19th century. The image speaks to shifts in the way childhood was understood at this time. The pair appear to be street performers. We can deduce that these children are working for a living, and the image invites us to consider the social conditions that give rise to child labor. De Graer has rendered these figures with a sensitivity that elevates them from simple social types to individuals. Consider the institutional framework that would have been in place to produce and sell the work. The art market was still driven by academies that exhibited paintings in salons. As art became more commercial, prints like this one democratized access to images. Looking at census data, records of child labor laws, and other primary sources allows us to reconstruct the world that produced this image. The art historian pieces together what the artist may have been trying to say about it.