Vrouw leunend op een stok, van voren c. 1652

Harmen ter Borch created this small drawing, "Vrouw leunend op een stok, van voren", or "Woman leaning on a stick, from the front", sometime in the mid-17th century. Ter Borch was working during the Dutch Golden Age, a period defined by unprecedented economic prosperity and artistic innovation in the Netherlands. This humble sketch of a woman is a window into the daily lives of ordinary people in the Dutch Republic. Unlike the grand portraits of the wealthy merchant class that dominated the art world at the time, this drawing suggests a different story, one that hints at the lives of working-class women. The woman's posture, leaning on a stick, might suggest fatigue or hardship. The drawing invites us to consider the experiences of women in 17th-century Dutch society. Were they afforded the same opportunities as their male counterparts? What roles did they play in the bustling economy of the time? "Vrouw leunend op een stok, van voren" is a poignant reminder of the stories that often go untold in the grand narratives of history, and invites us to reflect on the complexities of gender, class, and identity in the past.