Mannen laden zakken af van een wagen getrokken door muildieren 1855 - 1913

Xavier Mellery made this print of men unloading sacks from a mule-drawn cart sometime during his career in Belgium. Mellery was a painter and etcher who worked within the traditions of Realism and Symbolism, but here we have a more straightforward genre scene. The image speaks to the culture of labor during Mellery’s time. Notice the figures are engaged in physical, manual work. In the 19th century, industrialization transformed European society, yet traditional forms of labor persisted in many sectors. Mellery’s print captures this tension, reminding us of the reliance on human and animal power even as machines began to dominate. Consider the social hierarchy implied by the scene; some individuals are tasked with heavy lifting, while others oversee the process. Art historians rely on a wide array of sources - economic records, photographs, and literature – to contextualize artworks like this one. By exploring these resources, we can uncover the social and economic conditions that shaped Mellery’s vision and the lives of the figures he depicted.