Kapitalist en arbeider 1881 - 1899

Jan de Waardt made this drawing of a capitalist and a worker with pencil. The image stages a confrontation between two social classes, highlighting themes of inequality and social tension. De Waardt was Dutch, living in a time of rising industrialization and growing awareness of class divisions across Europe. The capitalist is depicted as stout, formally dressed, and self-satisfied, while the worker appears agitated, his body language suggesting urgency. This contrast embodies the strained relationship between the owners of capital and the working class, a central theme in socialist thought that was becoming very influential at this time. The drawing style is rough, mirroring the tensions portrayed. Historians use such images, alongside written records and economic data, to understand the social and political dynamics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Artworks like this one serve as important historical documents, reflecting and commenting on the social structures of their time.