Jonge visser 1864 - 1911

Frans Lauwers created this print, Jonge Visser or Young Fisherman, using etching. Lauwers lived in a time of great social change when industrialization was reshaping communities and labor practices. Here we see a young boy, presumably from a fishing community. His clothing and cap mark him as working class. There is a knowingness and yet innocence in his eyes. What does it mean for a boy to have to work? What does it mean for a boy to be already contributing to the family income? How does labor shape identity at such a young age? Lauwers asks us to consider the impact of economic realities on individual lives. The image is less about romanticizing labor and more about acknowledging the circumstances that shape the lives of young people. This image acts as a mirror, reflecting questions about childhood, labor, and societal expectations that still resonate today.