Vrouw met een kruik c. 1869

Cornelis Springer made this sketch of a woman with a jug using graphite on paper. It gives us a glimpse into the daily life of 19th-century Netherlands, a time when access to clean water was a communal activity. The woman, modestly dressed, embodies the working class of the era. Her posture, bent under the weight of the jug, speaks volumes about the physical demands placed on women. Springer, known for his cityscapes, here shifts focus to an individual. Was he commissioned? Was this a study for a larger work? What purpose did the sketchbook serve? Art history teaches us that the meaning of art is not fixed. It’s a dialogue between the artwork, the artist, and the social and institutional context in which it was created and viewed. By exploring archival materials, such as letters or exhibition catalogs, we can deepen our understanding of works like these.