Hier ziet ge 't leven en bedrijf / Van Jan de Wasscher en zijn wijf 1848 - 1881

This lithograph, ‘Here you see the life and business of Jan de Wasscher and his wife,’ was made by Alexander Cranendoncq in the 19th century. As a lithograph, the image was printed from a stone matrix, a process that allowed for relatively quick and cheap reproduction, perfectly suited for broadside publications like this one. The print depicts a series of vignettes, each illustrating a scene from the daily life of Jan, a washerman, and his wife. The composition is simple and direct, and the individual scenes are rendered with a focus on clarity rather than artistic flourish. Note the depiction of labor – the repetitive motions of washing, scrubbing, and cleaning, which speak volumes about the realities of working-class life in the 19th century. The very act of printing and distributing this image to a wide audience elevates the stories of ordinary people, suggesting a broader cultural interest in the lives and labors of the working class. By focusing on the everyday activities of a washerman and his wife, the artist challenges traditional notions of what is worthy of artistic representation.