Pannenkoekenbakster 1768

Johannes Körnlein made this drawing of a woman baking pancakes, or 'Pannenkoekenbakster', in the 18th century in the Netherlands. On the face of it, the image depicts a domestic scene. But we shouldn't miss the opportunity to consider its social context. Dutch society at this time was highly stratified, with a wealthy merchant class and a large population of working poor. While seemingly benign, this image reinforces the idea of women being confined to the domestic sphere, and the working class performing their duties. As art historians, we use sources like historical documents, census records, and other visual materials to better understand the society that produced this image. These resources allow us to consider not only the realities of everyday life but how those realities were reinforced by images such as this one, now held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.