Pige i morgendragt 1851

Christen Dalsgaard made this image of a young woman in 1851, using pencil and watercolor on paper. The seeming simplicity of these materials belies their capacity for nuance. Dalsgaard coaxes a subtle range of color and tone from them. Note, for instance, the way the vertical stripes of the skirt subtly shift, implying the fall of light across the fabric. And this close attention to textile is exactly the point. Dalsgaard was deeply invested in documenting the folk costumes of Denmark, specifically the labor that went into their making. The artist is not only representing his sitter, but also the skill and effort required to produce her clothing. Each stitch and dye represents hours of labor, a slow burn of skill and materiality. Understanding these processes, and the social contexts they imply, is essential to appreciating the depth and resonance of Dalsgaard’s art, and to questioning the boundary between fine art and craft.