Katten får middagsmad hos en fattig kone. Huslig scene 1856

Joel Ballin created this modest print, “Katten får middagsmad hos en fattig kone. Huslig scene”, sometime in the 19th century. The scene hums with the quiet, domestic intensity rendered through the stark medium of engraving. Notice how the composition directs our gaze from the mother to the child and then, unexpectedly, to the cat devouring its meal. The use of hatching and cross-hatching builds a tonal range that articulates the humble interior and the figures within it, focusing on the textures of their clothing and the rough-hewn quality of their surroundings. Ballin uses the simple act of feeding a cat to explore societal values of compassion and care within the context of poverty. The arrangement of the figures—a semiotic interplay—emphasizes the role of charity and everyday empathy. The cat, often a symbol of domesticity, here also signifies a shared humanity across species, challenging social boundaries.