Girl at the Lottery 1829

Peter Fendi painted “Girl at the Lottery” in Austria in the early 19th century. This artwork is less about the individual, and more about the rise of state-sponsored lotteries. Note the girl’s garb – the dress, the bonnet, the basket. She’s clearly not wealthy. The lottery, advertised here as the “Mittwochs in der Schul,” or Wednesday school, was pitched at working-class people. Fendi captures a moment of anxious anticipation, as she checks the winning numbers. But this isn’t just about a girl and a lottery. Fendi was employed by the Imperial Cabinet of Antiquities and his art reflects a concern with civic morality. Lotteries were a crucial source of state revenue but were morally dubious. Fendi seems to be commenting on the state’s exploitation of the vulnerable by promoting dreams of social mobility. Delving into Viennese archives and state records can reveal more about this complex relationship between state, citizen, and chance.