VoA 005 - The Village School by Jan Steen c. 1670

Jan Steen’s 17th-century painting The Village School has intrigued historians and psychologists alike as perhaps the earliest portrayal of modern day Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The children depicted in Steen’s painting exhibit behaviors that meet many of the criteria designated by psychologists for ADHD, including leaving their seat, fidgeting, running around, difficulty playing quietly, and excessive talking.

While symptoms of ADHD vary considerably and a formal diagnosis did not emerge until the late 1960s, the painting – which predates the formal field of psychology itself by over two centuries – invites nuanced interpretation. Can we say the work depicts a neurological condition, or is it simply a lively day in the relatively less-structured environment of a 17th century classroom?

The Village School invites us to reflect upon the historical contingency of different modes of attention — and to wonder exactly how much has changed in the ways that we give our minds and senses to the world.

What is to be found, or lost, in the reinterpretation of such a work?