Vrouwen aan de oever van de Nijl 1830

This print, "Vrouwen aan de oever van de Nijl," was made by Leendert de Koningh, after an original drawing by another artist. It’s rendered in a printing technique called etching, where acid is used to incise lines into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The subject is a scene of women at the Nile, with one spinning fiber into thread on a spinning wheel. We should consider the labor involved in the production of textiles. Spinning was a task done by women across many cultures, and the material was often a valuable commodity. We see this labor represented directly in the scene. The women, who are situated in a specific place and time, are actively engaged in the transformation of raw materials. The image draws attention to the way making and labor are essential to the fabric of society, highlighting the traditional skills and everyday lives of women in the region. It challenges the viewer to consider the social context of the work.