Portret van de hoogleraar klassieke talen Johan Cornelis Gerard Boot 1840 - 1886

Dirk Jurriaan Sluyter created this print of farm animals. It is a reminder of the long shadow cast by agriculture over the Dutch landscape and its people. The print’s bucolic scene might seem a world away from the concerns of the burgeoning cities of the Netherlands in the 19th century, yet it speaks to the era’s shifting social and economic landscape. The rise of capitalism and industrialization changed people's relationship with the land, turning it from a source of sustenance to a commodity. In these conditions, images of an idealized rural past became popular, offering viewers a sense of comfort and continuity in a rapidly changing world. These animals are passive observers in the making of the modern world. How might we re-evaluate the non-human world’s place in our histories?