De speculanten 1881

De Ruyter & Meijer’s print, "De Speculanten," presents a series of vignettes offering a commentary on speculation, likely in agricultural markets. This artwork offers a glimpse into the economic anxieties of the time and hints at the social stratification inherent in speculative practices, where some profit at the expense of others. It presents a narrative of labor and risk, where the working class is deeply enmeshed in the whims of the market. The figures in the print seem to be archetypes, embodying different positions within the economic structure, from the laborers in the field to the orchestrators of deals. The piece reflects a society grappling with nascent forms of financial risk, and there is a sense of unease about the increasing distance between labor and capital, and what it means to have your livelihood tied to the fluctuations of the market.