Muizen 1883 - 1922

Curator: Welcome, I'm glad you chose this drawing! Editor: Thank you! This is "Muizen" by Johanna van de Kamer, probably created sometime between 1883 and 1922. It looks like a pencil drawing, a sketch really, of several mice. What strikes me is the sheer ordinariness of it. They’re just…mice. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ordinary, yes, but also potent! Van de Kamer's "Muizen," while seemingly simple, offers a rich space for exploring the social positioning of women artists in her time. Editor: How so? Curator: Consider the art world of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. What subjects were considered appropriate for women artists? Often, they were confined to domestic scenes, portraits, or still lifes. To sketch mice—animals often associated with domestic spaces and, perhaps, anxieties around hygiene or societal expectations for women to maintain pristine households—was it a subtle act of resistance, an engagement with the everyday that subverted the expectations placed upon her? What feelings do you have toward mice generally? Editor: Hmm, I’ve never really thought of them beyond being…pests? Maybe kind of cute in cartoons? Curator: Precisely! Their varied representation opens doors. Van de Kamer is humanizing these creatures. This reminds us to question how we represent marginalized beings and invites discussion of human relationships with the environment and other creatures. Also, do you feel any sense of anxiety looking at this piece? How does this link with anxieties of gender roles in her time? Editor: Well, I never would have considered the relationship between mice and societal expectations! That's given me a lot to think about. Curator: And that’s what art should do—prompt us to question and reconsider! This work allows us to reflect on not only the past but on contemporary social justice and environmental themes. I’m thrilled you find it helpful!