Smoker and Drinker 1610 - 1685

"Smoker and Drinker" is an etching made by Adriaen van Ostade, a Dutch artist, sometime in the 17th century. During the Dutch Golden Age, the lives of peasants were frequently aestheticized. Looking at this image, we see two men in a tavern, one smoking a pipe, the other holding a mug. Their dress, the simple setting, and their activities, all point to a life of labor and leisure. Notice how van Ostade renders the scene with an eye for detail but without idealizing it; the men are ordinary, caught in a moment of everyday life. Their identities are tied to the culture of work, and the social spaces they inhabit. However, it is crucial to remember that the notion of the everyman has its limits. Class status is on display and these men are likely not meant to be admired, but rather, looked at as a spectacle. "Smoker and Drinker" captures a moment that invites us to consider the complex and often contradictory ways in which identity and class are portrayed.