Paard voor huis tussen bomen 1842

Hendrik Jozef Franciscus van der Poorten created this pencil drawing, ‘Paard voor huis tussen bomen’, or ‘Horse in front of a house among trees’, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Van der Poorten lived through the Napoleonic era and the period of Dutch restoration, a time when the Netherlands redefined its national identity. This drawing invites us to consider the romanticization of rural life, a popular theme during the 19th century. The drawing depicts a serene, almost idyllic scene, with the figure of a man with livestock placed centrally, flanked by trees and a quaint house. It reflects the era's fascination with nature and the common folk, yet it also presents a specific view of labor and rural existence. What does it mean to portray agricultural labor so peacefully? Van der Poorten's work allows us to reflect on how we frame our past and construct ideas around nationhood and identity. In its simplicity, the work invites us to think about the realities of rural life versus its idealized representation.