Vrouw schrijft brief in de keuken c. 1837

This print by Paul Gavarni shows a woman writing a letter in her kitchen. It's a lithograph, a printmaking process where an image is drawn on a stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then printed. The immediacy of lithography was perfect for capturing scenes of everyday life like this one. The kitchen setting, with its hanging pots and pans, gives us a glimpse into the woman's domestic world. Gavarni used the lithographic crayon to create a range of tones and textures, from the smooth surface of the table to the rough fabric of the woman's dress. Look closely and you’ll notice the quality of line, which gives the print a sketched, informal feeling. Gavarni was a keen observer of Parisian life, and lithography allowed him to rapidly produce images for newspapers and magazines, commenting on the social issues of his day, like the role of women and the realities of working-class life. Ultimately, the print reminds us of the intimate connections between art, labor, and the everyday.