Stehende junge Bäuerin, mit einem Kind auf dem Arm, vom Rücken gesehen c. 1771 - 1772

Georg Melchior Kraus made this watercolor drawing of a young peasant woman with a child on her arm in Germany during the late eighteenth century. The image presents a timeless scene of motherhood, but it also reflects the social realities of the time. Kraus was the director of the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School, an institution that played a role in shaping artistic taste and promoting certain social values. While Kraus's work often celebrated the virtues of rural life, it also served to reinforce the existing social hierarchy by depicting peasants as simple, hardworking folk. By showing the woman from behind, it can be interpreted as social commentary, perhaps of the artist himself. To understand this image better, we might consult archives of the Weimar Princely Free Drawing School, or the social histories of 18th century Germany. In doing so, we can learn more about the ways in which art was used to shape social and political life during this period.