Jongeman met mantel omgeslagen 1777

Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine created this print called ‘Young man with cloak turned’ with etching. This is a scene of everyday life, a common subject in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It’s from Poland, a place going through some big changes at the time, with a unique social structure. You had the Szlachta, the noble class, who had a big say in things, and then everyone else. Norblin, being French, brought a fresh perspective to Polish society, and was influenced by Enlightenment ideas. Now, the image itself - it’s not grand or heroic. It's a simple depiction of someone from the common folk, wearing what looks like traditional clothing. Norblin made quite a few of these everyday scenes, showing us what life was like for regular people back then. If you want to dig deeper, exploring the history of Poland during this period and looking into Norblin’s other works would be helpful. It all helps us understand what he was trying to say about the world around him through his art.