Fotoreproductie van een schilderij van een vrouw achter een spinnewiel c. 1865 - 1900

This is a photographic reproduction of a painting by Laurens Lodewijk Kleijn, showing a woman at a spinning wheel. The choice to reproduce a genre painting through photography raises some interesting questions about artistic and social values in 19th-century Netherlands. Genre paintings, which depict scenes of everyday life, were popular among the rising middle class, who saw themselves reflected in these idealized images of domesticity and hard work. Kleijn’s decision to paint this subject matter catered to this market, but the reproduction of such artwork through new photographic technologies suggests an attempt to democratize the art world, making it more accessible. The spinning wheel itself carries a strong cultural weight. It symbolizes female labor, frugality, and domestic virtue – values deeply embedded in the social fabric of the time. To gain a fuller understanding of this piece, one might examine the exhibition histories of both painting and photography in the Netherlands, or delve into the history of Dutch domestic life and the role of women within it. It serves as a fascinating entry point into the study of social values of the time.