Drie mannen rond een ton 1723 - 1789

Jacob Hoolaart created this print, “Three Men around a Barrel,” in the Netherlands in the 1700s. It depicts a social scene among working-class men. This image is a window into Dutch social life of the 18th century. We see three men gathered around a barrel, drinking, smoking, and engaged in conversation. These taverns and social spaces played a crucial role in shaping public opinion. In this time period, class distinctions were sharply defined, and leisure activities varied greatly across social strata. The clothing and comportment of the men suggest they belong to a lower social class, and their gathering hints at the informal networks of communication and solidarity that were essential to working-class life. To understand this image better, we can examine historical documents, like tax records and guild archives, to reconstruct the material conditions of the working class in the Netherlands. Such inquiries allow us to interpret art as a reflection of—and a participant in—the social forces of its time.