Twee oude dames eten soep 1867 - 1873

Wilhelmus Cornelis Chimaer van Oudendorp made this print of two old ladies eating soup in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-19th century. The image depicts a seemingly mundane domestic scene, but the way it’s rendered can tell us much about the culture and institutions of the time. Notice the stark contrast in clothing. One woman is wearing a white bonnet, signaling purity and perhaps widowhood, while the other is wearing a more elaborate headpiece. What might these visual codes tell us about their social standing, or their relationship? Soup, a simple and inexpensive meal, was a staple of the working class in the Netherlands, and yet the trappings around them are those of the petit-bourgeoisie. Is this an image of solidarity? A comment on changing social relations? To understand this artwork more fully, one might consult 19th-century Dutch etiquette books, household inventories, or even genealogical records. Art history thrives on such investigations into the social conditions that shape artistic production.