Zeven figuurstudies met onder andere een kind met hoepel en een man met hond 1816 - 1875

Paulus Lauters created this study of figures using pen in the Netherlands during the mid-19th century. We can see seven different characters with a range of social identities, from what appear to be working-class laborers to people with the trappings of wealth and status, like the dapper gentleman with the well-groomed dog. Lauters was the director of the Haarlemse Teeken-Academie, and this drawing is likely a preparatory study for a larger work. The drawing shows Lauters’s focus on observing and recording the world around him, paying close attention to people's daily lives. The image may comment on the social structures of its own time, showing the diversity of Dutch society and perhaps critiquing the unequal distribution of wealth and power. As historians, understanding an artwork like this requires us to look beyond its surface and consider the social and institutional context in which it was created. We can consult historical documents, such as letters, diaries, and newspapers, to gain a deeper understanding of the artist's life and the world in which they lived.