Ontwerp voor illustratie voor In Holland staat een huis: silhouet van de man die het huis met zijn dochter verlaat 1884 - 1917

Nelly Bodenheim rendered this silhouette design of a man leaving his house with his daughter, meant to illustrate a Dutch children’s song. The figures, starkly silhouetted, enact a scene charged with emotion. Consider the recurring motif of the raised hand, here brandishing a hat. Across time, from ancient Roman farewells to medieval courtly gestures, this act has signified departure, respect, and longing. The hat itself, a symbol of status and identity, is waved as if to bridge the widening gap between father and daughter and home. This gesture is also like that in ancient depictions of grief, where raised hands express intense sorrow. It’s a physical manifestation of the internal turmoil, a reaching out against the inevitable separation. The image, reduced to stark contrasts, amplifies these core emotions, engaging us in a primal drama of love and loss. This motif echoes through the ages, a visual echo resonating with shared human experiences.