Figuurstudie van een in een bedstee liggende vrouw, etend uit een kom Possibly 1888

David Bles created this pencil drawing of a woman eating in bed, sometime in the 19th century. Bles, who was of Jewish heritage, often depicted scenes of daily life, and was known for his genre paintings that captured the intimate moments of ordinary people. The woman’s position in bed suggests vulnerability, an idea emphasized by the intimacy of eating, usually a communal activity, done alone. The bed itself, enclosed and curtained, speaks to a desire for privacy, or perhaps enforced isolation. We are given a glimpse into a private world that might otherwise remain unseen. Consider how gender and class intersect here: is she ill, or simply resting? How does the artist’s identity inform his choice to depict this scene? Ultimately, this work invites us to reflect on the quiet, often unseen aspects of women’s lives in the 19th century.