Gaetano Gherardo Zompini

These etchings, part of a series portraying workers in Venice, demonstrate the class divide between the wealthy and the working poor. On the left, a man carries a lantern for two cloaked and masked men on their way to the theater, an amusement that only the upper classes could afford. On the right, a street sweeper asks two passersby for money, signaling how little he is paid for his labor. While the wealthy thrived in the urban ecosystem of work, trade, and leisure in 1700s Venice, the poorest struggled to survive even when employed.

Masking is associated with carnival season and festival, especially in Venice. In fact, for six months of the year, from October through March, Venetian society wore masks as daily dress. Both men and women wore the “domino,” an ensemble consisting of a black-and-white cloak and mantel and a black hat, or tabàro, combined with a white mask, or baùta, as seen in these etchings. Though masking was not uncommon and not considered inherently deceitful (as we might assume today),

it was associated with the formality of public life, and offered opportunites for the relaxation of social boundaries. Maskers lined the balconies and clogged the Grand Canal in boats for regattas and processions; masks were donned to received foreign diplomats or attend marriages. This image shows how masking looked in more ordinary circumstances, such as attending the theater, while also highlighting the role of everyday Venetians in sustaining the entertainments for which the city was famous.