The Sparrow's Nest Thief c. 18th century

Editor: This is "The Sparrow's Nest Thief" by Louis Crépy, a small plate at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like an etching. It depicts a young couple, but the boy has captured birds from a nest. What do you see in this work? Curator: I see a commentary on the relationship between labor, leisure, and consumption. The act of stealing the birds, a form of labor, provides a fleeting moment of pleasure for the couple. Consider the materiality of the print itself, the paper, the ink, the tools. How does the medium itself contribute to the work’s meaning? Editor: That makes me wonder about the intended audience and how they might have viewed this scene. Curator: Precisely. The print becomes a commodity, a consumable object reflecting and perhaps reinforcing social hierarchies. It invites us to consider the labor involved in its creation, distribution, and ultimately, its consumption.