Kartrekkend paard met ruiter 1809 - 1837

This print of a horse pulling a cart with a rider was made by Pieter Bartholomeusz. Barbiers. The image is sparse, made from etched lines on a copper plate, then transferred to paper. It shows a humble scene. The horse-drawn cart suggests a hard life for both the animal and the driver, the two laboring together. We get a sense of the cultural context of the day, and what it would have been like to live during this time. The image almost feels like a reportage, documenting the social and economical conditions of the late 18th and early 19th century. By examining the material and process used to create it, this modest print shows us how Barbiers has captured a scene that is both ordinary and revealing, and how the method can speak to labour and life.