Schreitende Dame mit Schirm 

Otto Scholderer made this pencil drawing called "Schreitende Dame mit Schirm" or "Walking Lady with Umbrella". The image seems simple, but we can read it as part of the changing social world of nineteenth-century Europe. Here we see a woman carrying a parasol. This accessory acted as a statement of social class. During this time, the umbrella became a symbol of wealth. If a woman did not need to do manual labor outside, she could keep her skin pale and un-tanned, thereby marking her social standing. We can note how the woman's clothes and hat signal modesty. Scholderer's work suggests how women of the time balanced a modest presentation with the desire to display their family's prosperity. To understand this work better, we can learn about fashion trends and social expectations during the time in which Scholderer was working. The images that survive from any given time offer valuable insights into the complex relationships between artists, their subjects, and the institutions that exhibited their work.