Gezicht op het strand van Scheveningen 1858

Johannes Hilverdink made this print of Scheveningen in the Netherlands in the 19th century. What is most striking is its calm, orderly feel. The church dominates, as if it were a benevolent landlord overlooking the workers, the fishermen who haul in the daily catch. It's easy to see Scheveningen and other seaside villages like it as quaint places, set apart from the industrialized cities. But, in the 1800s, fishing became heavily commercialized. New technologies transformed the industry and its social structure. Did the artist intend to reflect on these new economic changes? Was this image made for the market in order to evoke an older, simpler way of life? To answer these questions, art historians need to know about the institutions that shaped the production and circulation of images such as this one.