Meisje steunend op een kruk 1836 - 1884

Richard Burnier made this print, "Girl leaning on a crutch," in the Netherlands, sometime in the mid-19th century. Burnier’s image reflects the 19th-century art world's complex engagement with social class. On the one hand, the image idealizes rural life by depicting the simple attire of the young woman. At the same time, her crutch hints at the harsh realities faced by the working class and refers to the growing population of people with disabilities, which was a social consequence of industrialisation. During this time, many artists turned to landscape and genre painting as an alternative to the rigid hierarchies of academic art. Looking closely, one can see that this is a very romantic setting: the dog, the trees, the waterfall. But perhaps the artist aimed to challenge prevailing social norms by drawing attention to those who were often overlooked in society. Understanding the context of this print requires us to investigate Dutch social history, consulting sources such as census records, newspapers, and institutional archives to uncover the lives and experiences of the working class in the 19th century.