Mannen in een herberg 1801

William Ward created “Men in a Tavern” as an engraving with etching and mezzotint. Ward lived in a time of great social upheaval, as traditional rural lifestyles gave way to urban industrialization. Ward's artistic skill captures a moment of rural life. The scene seems to be ordinary at first glance. However, if we pause and look closer, we see that the social hierarchy is not that simple. We can see class distinctions: the well-dressed men at the table versus the labourer entering the room, the presence of a child worker. These distinctions would have been very familiar to Ward's audience. The tavern, as a social space, plays a crucial role in creating this sense of community. How do these scenes of working class life reflect or challenge the dominant narratives of his time? While this work might seem like a simple genre scene, it asks important questions about class, labor, and the changing social landscape of the time.