Paar in een koets 1824

Willem van Senus created this print of 'Couple in a carriage' sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century using etching. During this time, the Netherlands was experiencing significant social and political upheaval, caught between Enlightenment ideals and the remnants of aristocratic privilege. This etching offers a window into the lives of the wealthy, depicting a couple enjoying leisure in their carriage. Notice how the image subtly reinforces social hierarchies: the couple, elevated in their carriage, contrasts with the unseen labor required to maintain their lifestyle. How does this image make you feel? Do you see it as a simple depiction of pastoral life, or does it provoke questions about the unseen structures of power and labor that make such scenes possible?