Plate 7: four street vendors from Madrid selling eggs(?), straweberries, containers, cinamon/almond flavored sweets, from 'Los Gritos de Madrid' (The Cries of Madrid) 1809 - 1817

This hand-colored etching, ‘The Cries of Madrid’ by Miguel Gamborino, offers a glimpse into the daily life of 18th-century Madrid through its street vendors. Each figure is rendered with care, but it’s the symbolism embedded in their trades that captures my attention. Consider the humble donkey accompanying the egg vendor. Across cultures, the donkey embodies patience and labor, echoing ancient agricultural societies. This image resurfaces time and again, connecting the modern world to the rhythms of the past. Even the act of offering food carries deep emotional weight, evoking nourishment and care. The vendors' presentations hint at the deeper, often unspoken, transactions occurring in the marketplace, a complex interplay of needs, desires, and human connections. These images create a kind of collective memory, a shared understanding that transcends time. The echoes of the past resonate, subtly shaping our perceptions of the present. It is a non-linear, cyclical progression of symbols, resurfacing and evolving, creating new meanings in each historical context.