Zie, jeugd! den nyvren boer, niet aarslende in zyn pligten / Zyn werk, in elk gety van 't jaar, met vlyt verrigten, / Terwyl de visscher vischt, de jager gaat ter jagt, / En ook de wintervreugd door andren wordt betracht 1715 - 1813

This print, made by Erven Weduwe Cornelis Stichter, presents a series of vignettes depicting rural life. The processes involved in creating such a print – engraving, inking, and pressing – were highly skilled, yet also fundamentally reproductive. The material itself, paper, lends the artwork a sense of accessibility. Paper was relatively cheap and easily portable, making the imagery accessible to a wide audience. Look closely and you’ll see a visual inventory of labour: farmers tilling the land, fishermen casting nets, hunters pursuing game. Each scene, rendered with meticulous detail, speaks to the rhythms of work. The circulation of such images was deeply connected to broader systems of trade and consumption. Prints like these were not just aesthetic objects, but active participants in the construction of social values. Ultimately, this print reminds us that art is inseparable from the material conditions of its making, distribution, and reception. It challenges us to consider the roles of labour and class in shaping our visual world.