Sleepboot op rivier 1860 - 1921

This is a drawing of a tugboat on a river, made by Adolf le Comte. Le Comte, who was born in 1850, worked during a period of great industrial expansion across Europe and the United States. As the burgeoning middle classes sought new ways of experiencing leisure time, artists responded to the changing landscape. This quick sketch is an intimate portrayal of working life. The industrial revolution impacted social structures and redefined labor. This vessel and the figures on it are now rendered as diminutive, set against a broad landscape. The tugboat might have symbolized progress, but it also represents the displacement of traditional ways of life. As the old order changed, people looked for meaning. The image resonates with longing; a personal reflection amidst the sweeping changes of a society in transition.