Meisjes in de Paleisstraat of Hartenstraat te Amsterdam 1893

This is a drawing, 'Meisjes in de Paleisstraat of Hartenstraat te Amsterdam' by George Hendrik Breitner. Breitner, working in Amsterdam during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, captured fleeting moments of urban life with a raw, impressionistic style, often focusing on the working class. This sketch depicts a group of girls on a street in Amsterdam, with the characteristic quick and unpolished strokes that define Breitner’s approach. The sketch aesthetic, while seemingly simple, invites us to consider the lives of these young women within the socio-economic context of the time, especially the female experience in the urban environment. Breitner moved away from traditional, romanticized depictions, instead capturing the ordinary, unfiltered realities of daily life. This artwork exists as a reminder of the lives of working-class women in a rapidly changing urban landscape.