Handelaren en straatverkopers 1827 - 1894

M. Hemeleers-van Houter’s 'Handelaren en straatverkopers' presents a tableau of urban commerce, rendered with a keen eye for pattern and structure. The print is organized into a grid of vignettes, each framing a different vendor or tradesperson. The artist employs a limited palette, dominated by primary colors. This lends a graphic quality to the work, accentuating the shapes and forms of the figures and their wares. The composition is strictly organized. Each scene is uniformly framed, creating a sense of order. The figures are stylized. Their poses and costumes suggest types rather than individuals. This approach reduces human figures to semiotic signs. Each vendor is a marker of social identity and economic function. Through form and color, the print evokes a society seen as a structured system. It invites viewers to decode the urban landscape through its visual components. It presents an image of society as a network of exchanges, articulated through a framework of signs.