Schoenmaker in werkplaats en spinnende vrouw 1805

Johannes Christiaan Bendorp created this print, ‘Schoenmaker in werkplaats en spinnende vrouw,’ using engraving techniques. Bendorp has used the qualities of the metal plate to its full potential, with the tiny engraved lines giving a sense of depth and texture to the scene. Here, we see a shoemaker hard at work in his workshop alongside a woman spinning. These are age-old crafts, requiring meticulous handwork, skill, and labor. There is an entire family present in the image; an evocation of the social structures present at the time. In this work, Bendorp is using a modern medium – engraving – to depict the beauty of pre-industrial labor. It makes you think about how the objects we use every day are made. This print reminds us that everything we consume has a history of labor and skill behind it, whether created through craft or mass production. Appreciating the work involved challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.