Voddenboer, staand naar rechts 1840

Pieter van Loon made this pencil drawing titled 'Voddenboer, staand naar rechts’ – or ‘rag man, standing to the right’ – in the early 19th century. Images of the ‘rag man’ were popular during the period. They represented some of the many members of the working class that drove the Dutch economy. The ‘rag men’ collected unwanted household items, like rags, which could then be recycled or repurposed. We can see in this image that he is carrying a large basket on his back, presumably for the rags he collected, a walking stick, and wearing clogs. This image can teach us about the importance of labor in 19th century Netherlands, as well as inform us about clothing styles and typical jobs from the period. If you want to learn more, you can read accounts from the period and other images of this type of worker. You will likely find that images of the working class were usually meant to emphasize their virtues.