Moeraslandschap met bomen 1879

Alfred Elsen made this marsh landscape with trees as an etching. We can understand this work by placing it within the context of landscape art of the 19th century. In this period, a growing middle class had more leisure time to spend in nature, as well as the money to spend on landscape paintings and prints. The etching technique was also becoming more sophisticated. Artists like Elsen could create detailed and naturalistic images, which met the demand for this genre. But this naturalism also had a social function. In the Netherlands, landscape art contributed to a sense of national identity. Think of the late 19th century, when there was growing concern about urbanization and industrialization. By depicting the beauty of the Dutch landscape, artists were able to evoke a sense of nostalgia for a more rural past. To understand Elsen's print more fully, we might look at exhibition records and other publications that show the social function of landscape art in the Netherlands.