Boerin melkt een koe in een weiland Possibly 1886

Elias Stark created this etching titled "Boerin melkt een koe in een weiland", or "Farmer's wife milking a cow in a meadow", the date of which is unknown. Stark lived during a period of significant social and economic change, particularly within agrarian communities. This work offers a glimpse into the pastoral life of women in rural settings. In this seemingly simple scene, Stark engages with complex ideas about gender and labor. During this period, women in agrarian societies were often responsible for tasks like milking, which were essential to the family economy. The act of depicting this woman, bent over in labor, prompts questions about the representation of women's work and their relationship to the natural world. Stark refrains from romanticizing his subject, instead depicting a woman absorbed in the act of milking. The artwork subtly touches on the intersection of gender, class, and rural life, reminding us of the often unseen labor that sustains communities.