Horses and Donkeys for Hire

The painting Horses and Donkeys for Hire from 1854 shows a tourist attraction that was popular at the time. Saddled riding animals stand ready to take people for a ride. The horses appear to be well looked after and are sheltered by a tent. By contrast, the donkeys are tied up short in the sun and look frail. Joseph Stevens…

The painting Horses and Donkeys for Hire from 1854 shows a tourist attraction that was popular at the time. Saddled riding animals stand ready to take people for a ride. The horses appear to be well looked after and are sheltered by a tent. By contrast, the donkeys are tied up short in the sun and look frail. Joseph Stevens often painted ‘different classes’ of animals and he had a lot of success with his paintings. He was most famous for a series of paintings of dogs; as a street dog, a working dog or as a well-loved pet. This is why Charles Baudelaire also described him as ‘the dog portraitist.’ Together with Charles Degroux, he was one of the first realistic painters in Belgium.