Zie hier ô kindren! weêr iets raars / Een ganschen stoet van bedelaars, / Veele uit gebrek, vele arm in schyn, Dan, God help ze allen die het zyn 1806 - 1830

This print, made by Hermanus Numan, presents us with a parade of beggars, a scene teeming with social commentary. Dominating the frame are the figures of the impoverished, each etched with a stark realism that speaks volumes about the human condition. Note the motif of the walking stick, a tool and a symbol, present across the majority of figures, acting as a support, a defense, and an identifier of the itinerant poor. In ancient Greece, the staff was the attribute of wanderers, of gods like Hermes. Think of its later adoption by Christian pilgrims, and now here, carried by the dispossessed of 18th-century Amsterdam. The faces, though small, bear the weight of their circumstances. The artist renders them with a mix of resignation and resilience, a powerful evocation of human suffering. This is a parade, yes, but one imbued with the silent screams of those on the margins. Such depictions serve not only as records, but as mirrors reflecting our collective conscience. The stick is not simply a tool, it's a recurring echo in the labyrinth of human experience. It persists, evolving, carrying the weight of history and the quiet dignity of those who lean on it.