Herders en reizigers bij een fontein 1744 - 1816

Jean Charles Le Vasseur made this print, "Herders en reizigers bij een fontein" in the late 18th or early 19th century in the Netherlands. Le Vasseur shows us a woman filling a jug at a fountain, while travellers with their cattle pause nearby. Such rustic scenes were incredibly popular across Europe at this time. But what's interesting is the way this image engages with ideas about class and social roles. The woman and travellers are idealized: their clothes are clean, their poses elegant. This idealization reflects the tastes of the wealthy urban audiences who bought prints like these. Through the circulation of such images, the late 18th century helped consolidate new social norms and codes of conduct. We can consider how this print both reflected and shaped the period’s fascination with the countryside. To understand more, we might research the print market of the time, examining the artist's other works, and looking at how similar scenes were depicted by other artists. All this helps us see how art is never just a reflection of the world, but an active participant in shaping it.