Daar kinderen hebt ge een print, / Waar ge uw vermaak in vindt 1781 - 1828

This illustrated print was made by Jan Hendriksen, and shows children at play. It’s a relatively low-tech affair: etching, printed on paper, with the addition of a few hand-painted colors. But consider what’s being shown. These aren’t idyllic images of rural labor. Instead, we see children engaged in leisure, in some cases with homemade toys like kites. They’re learning the rituals of social life. There’s a clear division of labor at work here. These children are consumers, and they are being taught how to be. The print itself is a commodity too, one of many produced to service the bourgeois family, and decorate its home. Even though these are just simple drawings, they give us a vivid insight into the culture of childhood – and the beginnings of consumer capitalism. It’s a reminder that even the simplest objects can be packed with social meaning.