Mutter mit Kind auf Esel am Strand Possibly 1877

Otto Scholderer made this pencil drawing of a mother and child on a donkey on paper. It is currently in the Städel Museum. The drawing evokes the mid-19th century, a time when leisure and tourism became more accessible to the middle class. The beach setting and the figures’ clothing point to a specific social context: that of a family enjoying a day at the seaside. The donkey ride, a common activity at coastal resorts, becomes a symbol of bourgeois leisure. As a social historian, I’m interested in how images like this reflect changing social norms and economic structures. To understand this drawing better, one could research the history of tourism in Germany. Contemporary guidebooks, advertisements, and accounts of seaside resorts would shed light on the cultural significance of such scenes. By placing Scholderer’s drawing within its historical context, we can better appreciate its subtle commentary on the social life of its time.