Vrouw op stoel buigt zich naar kind in wieg 1808 - 1848

This print, by Pieter Barbiers IV, shows a woman bending over a baby in a cradle. While the date of the artwork is unknown, Barbiers lived between 1798 and 1848, in the Netherlands, so we can assume the artwork comes from that time and place. This image offers a window into the domestic life of 19th-century Holland. What does it tell us about gender roles at the time? The woman seems to be a caregiver, perhaps a mother, grandmother, or nanny. Note the plainness of the room and the simplicity of her dress. What does this tell us about social class? To understand this print better, we could look at household manuals from the period, demographic records, and literature. By doing this, we can appreciate how the meaning of art always depends on a web of social and institutional factors.