Exterminator Collection

Un nouvel Hercule Farnèse, 19th century. Creator: Honore Daumier
Un nouvel Hercule Farnese, 19th century. A new Farnese Hercules

Newspaper seller and rat-catcher, 1845 (coloured engraving)
977738 Newspaper seller and rat-catcher, 1845 (coloured engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Newspaper seller and rat-catcher, 1845)

The Ratcatcher, 1632 (etching) (b / w photo)
XJF270030 The Ratcatcher, 1632 (etching) (b/w photo) by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606-69); Private Collection; Dutch, out of copyright

The rat poison seller, Anonymous, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Claes Jansz. Visscher (II), 1632 - 1652

NEW YORK: RAT CATCHER, c1908. A rat catcher holding a ferret, used to hunt rats in New York City buildings. Photograph, c1908

NEW YORK: RAT CATCHER, 1908. A rat catcher displaying the rats killed by his ferret in New York City. Photograph, 1908

PARISIAN EXTERMINATOR. A Parisian street-crier offering to catch rats: French colored engraving, c1740

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Through the ages, from the coloured engraving of a newspaper seller turned rat-catcher in 1845, to the etching of The Ratcatcher in 1632, the profession of an exterminator has remained a vital part of human civilization. Rembrandt Harmensz. Van Rijn and Claes Jansz. Visscher's Anonymous work, The Rat Poison Seller, illustrates the early methods used to combat rodents. Fast forward to New York in 1908, where rat catchers proudly displayed their kills, having hunted rats with ferrets. And let us not forget the drive against locusts in South India, where the battle against pests was waged in a different but equally important way. The Parisian Exterminator, a street-crier offering his rat-catching services in a French colored engraving from 1740, stands as a testament to the enduring role of exterminators in our lives. Working for a living, these individuals have played a crucial part in protecting our food sources, health, and homes throughout history.