Herderin met bos hout onder haar arm 1773 - 1806

Francesco del Pedro created this print of a ‘Shepherdess with a Bundle of Wood under her Arm.’ Portrayals of shepherdesses were particularly fashionable in the 18th century. These idyllic images often served as fantasies of rural life for the elite, masking the harsh realities faced by women of the working class. The woman's gaze holds a complex tension. She appears caught between the idealised image of pastoral innocence, and the physical labour suggested by the wood she carries. The print invites us to consider how identity is shaped and interpreted through the lens of class and gender. Does the image challenge or reinforce the conventional representations of women and labour? The shepherdess figure encapsulates both the romanticism of the era and the socioeconomic disparities that defined women's roles in society.