Interieur met een schoenmaker en twee jongens aan het werk 1836 - 1912

Isaac Weissenbruch made this etching, *Interior with a Shoemaker and Two Boys at Work*, sometime in the 19th century. Here we have a window into the domestic life of the Netherlands. The scene presents us with an everyday subject, a shoemaker working with two boys in his home. By the 19th century, scenes from daily life became more common as subjects for art. Although these subjects can appear neutral, the imagery of labour and of working-class life can be politically charged. During the 19th century, artists, writers, and political thinkers were concerned with the question of industrialization and the challenges of modern life. Weissenbruch here calls our attention to work as something passed down from one generation to another. In studying such images, the art historian might look at the etcher’s relationship to social movements such as socialism, or examine the ways in which this image challenges or upholds existing social norms.