Meisje knuffelt een kat c. 1928 - 1941

Editor: This charming pen-and-ink drawing, "Meisje knuffelt een kat," or "Girl Hugging a Cat," is by Miep de Feijter, likely created sometime between 1928 and 1941. The girl’s pose and the barred window create a sense of confinement despite the tenderness of the image. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The window’s grid certainly establishes confinement. But notice the plants: each bursting from their dark pots, juxtaposing the barred window with vitality and growth. This composition reveals an intersection between external restraint and internal flourishing; what is not permitted on the outside can thrive inside. Editor: That’s a fascinating perspective. I was so focused on the restrictive aspects that I missed the resilience suggested by the plants. Curator: It’s also worth looking at the apron the girl wears. Notice its visual weight – its darkness pulling the eye to her midsection. Do you think it has the same resonance today as it may have had for audiences at the time? Editor: I wonder if it represents domestic responsibility. The apron makes me think of being forced into domestic chores. The cat, maybe a source of solace, a creature over which she has some agency. Curator: Precisely! This connects to a powerful legacy of images where women and children are symbols of both vulnerability and quiet strength, embodying hope even within restrictive environments. The symbolism within simple genre scenes preserves potent cultural values across time. Editor: That connection to wider cultural memory makes the drawing feel so much richer. Thank you! Curator: It is precisely that resonance—symbols that connect with our collective cultural consciousness—that grants even simple scenes like this, enduring power.