Seated Girl in Peasant Costume c. 19th century

This drawing of a seated girl in peasant costume was made by an anonymous artist using graphite on paper. The figure is presented not in labor, but seated, as though being observed. The presence of the profile sketch in the upper right suggests that the drawing may be a study. The so-called ‘peasant costume’ can be seen as a cultural reference, inviting a reading of the sitter as an idealized representation of rural virtue. This image was created at a time of rapid industrialization and urbanization in Europe and North America. It evokes nostalgia for a rural past, even as the spread of industrial capitalism had already begun to transform the countryside. Further research into the provenance of the drawing may reveal more about the context in which this image was made and the specific social and institutional forces that shaped its creation. The meaning of art is contingent on such information.