Het rijden is een schoone zaak, / Het strekt tot nut en tot vermaak / Doch lieve kind'ren, bij het rijden, / Moet men een ongeluk vermijden 1832 - 1850

This print, made by Theodorus Johannes Wijnhoven-Hendriksen in Rotterdam, is comprised of engravings on paper, embellished with watercolor washes. The imagery is carefully delineated, demonstrating the artist's mastery of line. Each scene shows a horse-drawn carriage, rendered with a somewhat naive charm; the flat planes of color add to this effect. The artist was clearly familiar with a variety of horse-drawn vehicles, from hay wains, to military transport, to luxurious passenger carriages. These were essential to the Dutch economy and class structure. Note that the artist also identifies himself as a book and print maker, suggesting a canny understanding of the publishing market. Ultimately, this modest print offers a glimpse into a society reliant on animal power, and a commercial ecosystem that gave images broad circulation. We should remember that, long before digital media, it was prints like this that brought images into many people’s lives, outside the elite world of painting.