Gezicht op het dorp Ridderkerk 1793

Anna Catharina Brouwer made this print of Ridderkerk, a village in the Netherlands, using etching and engraving techniques. In Brouwer’s time, Dutch society was structured around distinct gender roles, with women often confined to domestic life. While women artists faced significant barriers, Brouwer managed to navigate these challenges, leaving her mark in the art world. Brouwer's decision to depict Ridderkerk speaks to the cultural significance of the Dutch countryside. During the early modern period, landscape imagery became a vehicle for expressing national identity. The print is accompanied by a poem, written in Dutch, that sings the praises of Ridderkerk. The verse celebrates the village as a place of blessing and prosperity. By focusing on the beauty and virtue of the Dutch countryside, Brouwer positions herself within a tradition of landscape art that romanticizes rural life. Through her choice of subject and medium, Brouwer not only reflects the values of her time but also asserts her presence in a male-dominated art world.