Zittende jongen met hoed en stok, bij een boom Possibly 1816

Abraham Johannes Ruytenschildt made this red chalk drawing of a seated boy with hat and stick, by a tree in the early 19th century. The work presents an interesting tension between nature and culture. Notice the boy’s clothing – the hat, the tunic, and the carefully maintained shoes. These details indicate a certain level of social class and a connection to the structured world of human society. Yet, the boy is reclining against a tree, seemingly at rest within a natural setting. It prompts us to consider the relationship between the individual and their environment, and perhaps even the impact of emerging industrial society on traditional ways of life in the Netherlands at that time. To understand this work fully, we need to delve into the social history of the Netherlands in the 1800s. Researching the fashion trends and economic conditions of the time may give us insight into the boy’s social standing and how people viewed nature during a period of immense social change.