Meisje met een hond en pluimvee 1834 - 1854

This is Willem Frederik Wehmeyer's "Meisje met een hond en pluimvee," an engraving whose date is unknown. The work is characterized by its oval frame, which encloses a scene rendered in delicate lines and tonal gradations of gray. The composition arranges a young girl, a dog, and poultry within a landscape that feels both intimate and boundless. The girl’s gesture, pointing upwards, directs our gaze. It is a semiotic cue, linking the earthly figures to perhaps a celestial or imaginative space beyond. Wehmeyer's skilled engraving technique captures a range of textures, from the soft plumage of the fowl to the coarse fur of the dog, destabilizing the traditional hierarchy between human and animal subjects. The monochromatic palette emphasizes form and structure. Note the meticulous details in the girl’s dress and the naturalistic rendering of the animals; these elements function aesthetically and hint at deeper cultural values. The precise engraving and thoughtful arrangement of forms invite ongoing interpretation.