Italian Peasant Woman with a Broom 

Johann Caspar Weidenmann created this pencil drawing of an Italian Peasant Woman with a Broom in the first half of the 19th century. At this time, the European art market was increasingly interested in images of ‘authentic’ rural life. The figure of the peasant was becoming a popular romantic symbol. Here, the woman’s traditional clothing and simple tool are signifiers of her close relationship with the land. But what exactly does it mean to be an ‘Italian peasant woman’? Italy as a unified nation-state didn’t exist until 1861, so it is interesting to consider what this image might have meant for audiences in other parts of Europe. How would viewers have understood the place of rural people in the broader European social and political order? To understand this drawing fully, we can consult a wide range of historical sources, including travel writing, political pamphlets, and the records of art markets and institutions.