Zie hier ô kindren! weêr iets raars / Een ganschen stoet van bedelaars, / Veele uit gebrek, vele arm in schyn, Dan, God help ze allen die het zyn 1806 - 1830

This print, made by Hermanus Numan, presents a parade of beggars, a common sight in the 18th century Netherlands. Notice the recurring motif of the walking stick, a symbol of frailty and reliance, yet also of movement and survival. Think of the flaneur in the 19th century, transformed from a symbol of poverty to a symbol of agency and observation. Consider, too, the image of the pilgrim with a staff, a symbol seen in the story of St. James. The image evokes a deep-seated, perhaps subconscious, human fear: the fear of destitution and social exclusion. This unease is captured in the stooped postures and tattered clothing of the figures, prompting both empathy and a sense of distance. These symbols—the stick, the rags, the road—are not static; they resurface, evolve, and are imbued with new meanings across time.