Born in Haarlem, where he was a pupil of Frans Hals, Adriaen van Ostade specialized in scenes set in rural villages. A number of his etched compositions, including this image of an itinerant peddler, demonstrate his familiarity with Rembrandt's works. According to an old Dutch proverb, hawking eyeglasses is a euphemism for deception; in modern parlance, it is similar to selling a "bill of goods." Glasses-wearers were habitually portrayed as imprudent or morally blind.