Studie, mogelijk van een handkar c. 1886s

This pencil sketch, tentatively dated to the late 19th or early 20th century, is by the Dutch artist George Hendrik Breitner. It captures his observations of everyday urban life, possibly depicting a handcart. The directness of Breitner’s technique, using graphite on paper, mirrors the immediacy of the subject: working people getting by in the city. The quick, light strokes suggest a fleeting moment, a snapshot of labor. The very act of sketching implies a kind of labor too, less strenuous than pulling a cart, but a means of production nonetheless. Compared to the labor of the handcart puller, the labor of the artist is very different. Yet both are essential to the city, each contributing to its economy and social fabric. Thinking about this sketch, and the many others that Breitner made, it is interesting to consider how even a simple drawing can connect us to broader social and economic realities.