De linnenkast 1823 - 1900

Johann Wilhelm Kaiser produced this print titled 'De linnenkast', or 'The linen closet' in English, in the 19th century. It depicts a domestic scene with women exchanging textiles by a large linen cupboard. Prints like these were widely circulated at a time when the industrial revolution was transforming textile production. The detailed rendering of domestic interiors also speaks to the era’s focus on home and family as central to social order. Within this context, gender roles are very clearly defined. Women managed the household while men were out in the public sphere. Yet there is something quite intimate about this image, even given its focus on domestic labor. We see a child in the background, perhaps awaiting instruction. What does this image suggest about the intergenerational transmission of domestic skills and expectations? Or perhaps, the passing on of knowledge? Kaiser’s print captures not just a scene, but a moment of quiet exchange. It invites us to think about the labor, relationships, and complex histories woven into the fabric of everyday life.