Koffiepiksters aan het werk c. 1900

Isaac Israels made this drawing of coffee pickers at work with graphite. It's now held at the Rijksmuseum. The image offers a glimpse into the lives of workers, likely in a Dutch colony, and it invites us to reflect on the social and economic structures of the time. The scene shows a group of women engaged in the labor-intensive process of sorting coffee beans. Consider the power dynamics at play in this colonial setting, where the labor of local populations was often exploited for the benefit of European economic interests. Israels's choice of subject matter and his interest in depicting the lives of ordinary people align with broader artistic trends of social realism that aimed to bring attention to the experiences of the working class. To fully understand the implications of this drawing, we might look into the historical context of Dutch colonialism and the coffee trade.