Man wijzend naar een dronkaard voor een groep kinderen op straat - Isaac Weissenbruch

A nineteenth-century Dutch wood engraving by Isaac Weissenbruch, featuring a moralising scene of a man instructing children on the dangers of alcohol.

This wood engraving, titled Man wijzend naar een dronkaard voor een groep kinderen op straat, originates from the Prenten-Magazijn voor het Nederlandsche Volk. Isaac Weissenbruch, a Dutch illustrator active during the mid-nineteenth century, produced this work as a moralising visual aid. The composition depicts a well-dressed man in a top hat gesturing towards a dishevelled, intoxicated figure, while a group of children observes the scene from the left. The artist employs clear, linear hatching to define the figures and the architectural backdrop, typical of the illustrative techniques used in popular periodicals of the era.

The inclusion of a biblical reference, Galaten 5, vs. 21, provides the thematic framework for the image. The accompanying Dutch text serves as a didactic poem, warning children against mocking those suffering from alcoholism and encouraging them to pray for their fathers instead. This combination of text and image was a common method for disseminating social and religious values to the public in the Netherlands during the nineteenth century. The scene captures a specific moment of social instruction, where the adult figure acts as a mediator between the children and the reality of vice.

Weissenbruch demonstrates a keen eye for characterisation, contrasting the upright posture of the man in the top hat with the slumped, unsteady stance of the drunkard. The children are rendered with varied expressions, suggesting a mix of curiosity and confusion. The print remains a document of the social concerns of the period, reflecting the temperance movements and moral education efforts prevalent in Dutch society. The clean lines and balanced composition ensure the narrative remains accessible, prioritising the clarity of the message over decorative flourish. This piece offers a glimpse into the intersection of art, religion, and social reform in nineteenth-century Dutch print culture.