Zittend meisje, schrijvend op een lei 1847 - 1899

Jacob Maris made this pencil drawing of a young girl writing on a slate. We don’t know when exactly it was made. But what does this image tell us about the Netherlands at this time? Popular education was enshrined in Dutch law from the early 19th century, but it was only with the 1878 Education Act that schooling became compulsory for all children between 6 and 12 years old. Before that, the labour of children like this girl would have been an important part of the family economy. So this drawing could be a comment on changing social conditions, and the recognition that children deserved an education, and a childhood. We could study school archives from this period to find out more about the pupils who were benefiting from the new laws. So the meaning of this simple sketch depends on knowing a little about the social and institutional context in which it was made.