Regen 1850 - 1907

Axel Thies created this pen and ink drawing, "Regen", depicting a family in what looks to be a beer garden or outdoor cafe. The image is brimming with satirical commentary on social class. The family, dressed in their finery, sit stiffly at a table, while above them, a figure lurks in the foliage, watering can in hand, poised to disrupt their leisure. There's a clear juxtaposition between the refined bourgeois family and the intrusive presence of the working class. The work captures the anxiety and precariousness of social hierarchies, revealing the tensions simmering beneath the surface of polite society. What does it mean to see the upper class disturbed by the working class? What type of social commentary is Thies trying to convey?