Portretten van drie scheepslieden c. 1848 - 1854

Christian Heinrich Gottlieb Steuerwald sketched "Portretten van drie scheepslieden" with graphite on paper, capturing the visages of three sailors. Looking at this sketch from the 19th century, we can think about the position of sailors in society at the time. What was their social status? Were they working class heroes or simply employees of the various shipping and trading companies of the time? The faces of these men are carefully drawn, but we can also see the traces of the artist working rapidly. Was this an official commission or did the artist have a more personal relationship with these men? How would this context influence the final result? What can the records of maritime institutions tell us about the lives of ordinary seamen in this period? As art historians, we need to investigate such questions, drawing on archives and historical records to better understand the social context of this artwork.