Vrouw en jongen bedelen aan trapopgang 1846 - 1853

Adolphe Mouilleron made this print called "Woman and boy begging on a staircase" in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-19th century. The image speaks to the enormous social changes underway at the time. We see a mother and child reduced to begging on the steps of what looks like a government building. The image captures the stark reality of poverty amidst a rapidly industrializing society. Consider the social conditions that might lead an artist to depict such a scene. Was Mouilleron trying to raise awareness about poverty, or simply documenting a common sight? The print is a reminder of the social and economic disparities that existed then, and persist today. The Rijksmuseum's records and archives from the period could tell us more about the specific context in which Mouilleron created his work.