Stehendes kleines Mädchen, an einen Stuhl gelehnt 

Otto Scholderer made this pencil drawing of a standing young girl leaning against a chair sometime in the mid-19th century. It is a study of childhood, but it also hints at the power dynamics inherent in portraiture, and the art world more generally. This delicate sketch was likely created in Germany, a region undergoing significant social change during Scholderer’s lifetime. The rising middle class and industrialization impacted traditional family structures, with childhood becoming increasingly sentimentalized. How might that context affect Scholderer’s decisions as an artist? The girl's serious expression and slightly awkward pose contrast with the typical cherubic depictions of children in art, suggesting a more realistic, perhaps even critical, view of childhood. Scholderer may be commenting on the social expectations placed on children, even at a young age. To fully understand this work, one might research the artist's biography, examining his social background, artistic training, and the prevailing social attitudes toward children in 19th-century Germany. Art history involves detective work. Only through understanding the society can we understand the art.