Twee kruiwagens 1781 - 1837

Charles Howard Hodges created this print called 'Twee kruiwagens' or 'Two Wheelbarrows'. Hodges, who lived from 1764 to 1837, was an English-born painter and printmaker, active during a time of significant social and economic change. The wheelbarrows in this image are tools of labor, deeply connected to the working class and agrarian life that defined much of society at the time. In Hodges’s era, the laboring class faced harsh conditions and limited social mobility. These wheelbarrows, then, might represent the daily toil and struggle for survival. Note how the inclusion of chickens gives the scene a sense of the everyday, a glimpse into the lives of those who depended on the land. The detailed rendering of the wheelbarrows also suggests a certain dignity in labor, a respect for the tools that sustained communities. This image offers a quiet reflection on the lives of the working class, inviting us to consider the value and meaning of labor, and the social structures that shaped individuals' experiences.