Portret van een meisje 1874 - 1925

This is Jan Veth’s pencil drawing, "Portret van een Meisje" or "Portrait of a Girl" currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Veth was part of a generation grappling with rapid social changes, including evolving views on childhood and gender. The girl in the portrait appears contemplative, her gaze holding both innocence and a hint of knowing. Veth’s choice of a young female subject invites us to consider the societal expectations placed on women, even in their youth. In the late 19th century, women were often depicted as symbols of purity and domesticity, but here, we see something more complex, a personality beginning to form. The unfinished nature of the sketch adds to this sense of becoming, as if Veth captured a fleeting moment in the girl’s life, a moment of introspection. This sketch opens a window onto the private, emotional lives of young women during a time of significant social change.