Figuurstudies van een geitenhoeder, een vrouw met kruik, een vrouw met mand op haar hoofd en een slapende man 1816 - 1875

Paulus Lauters made this drawing, "Figure Studies of a Goat Herder," with pen in the 19th century. The sketch contains separate figures that give us an insight into the reality of rural life in the Netherlands at the time. Lauters depicts peasants and farm animals, capturing the everyday life of the countryside, in contrast to the more traditional academic art taught in institutions. The figures in this drawing seem to represent the laboring class. The woman carrying what looks like produce on her head might be a sign of the distribution of goods. The goatherder with a herd of sheep could be a portrayal of traditional animal husbandry. To fully grasp this drawing, historians might use economic data and institutional archives to get a sense of Lauters’s relationship to the art world and how his choices were related to changing cultural values.