Verzamelaar 1857

Paul Gavarni made this lithograph titled 'Verzamelaar'—or 'Collector'—sometime in the mid-19th century. It depicts a somewhat disheveled man standing in front of a table that displays several busts. But more than documenting an individual, Gavarni's artwork speaks to the rise of collecting as a social phenomenon in 19th-century France. The burgeoning middle class, fueled by industrialization and colonialism, had more disposable income and leisure time. This new wealth allowed them to participate in collecting, previously an aristocratic pursuit. Art, like these busts, became a status symbol, a way to signal one's sophistication and taste. Gavarni, however, subtly critiques this trend. The collector appears melancholic, perhaps suggesting that the pursuit of material possessions can be ultimately unfulfilling. Art history helps us understand this image, by uncovering the social and economic conditions that shaped the art market at the time. Through magazines, auction catalogues, and collectors' journals we can better understand the cultural values and power dynamics at play.