Staande vrouw met een emmer onder de arm 1790 - 1852

Pieter Christoffel Wonder created this watercolor called 'Standing Woman with a Bucket under her Arm' sometime between 1780 and 1850. The piece captures a woman in what appears to be working class dress. During this period, traditional gender roles were deeply entrenched in European society. Women, especially those of lower economic status, were often relegated to domestic tasks and manual labor. This image captures that reality, portraying a woman engaged in everyday work. Yet, Wonder's choice to depict this woman with such care invites us to consider her individual experience. There's a quiet dignity in her posture and the soft rendering of her features. Is Wonder merely documenting a scene from daily life, or is he also offering a commentary on the lives of working women? The image doesn’t overtly challenge the status quo, but it does present a space for reflection on the lives and labor of women in 19th-century society.