Luitspeelster 1781

Cornelis Brouwer made this print of a lute player sometime in the late 18th century. Prints like this one were often produced in the Netherlands as a form of social commentary. The lute itself was associated with the upper classes, and to some extent with ideas of courtly love, as the lute was often used to serenade women. This young woman looks directly at the viewer, but her slightly disheveled appearance suggests that she may be a lower-class woman who is simply posing with the instrument, perhaps to make a spectacle of herself. Brouwer was most likely making a comment on the social aspirations of the lower classes, who may have been trying to imitate the manners and fashions of the wealthy. In the Rijksmuseum's collection today, this image provides historians with valuable insight into the social attitudes and class tensions of 18th-century Dutch society. We can use sources like this in conjunction with other archival material, such as newspapers, literature, and social commentaries of the time.