Blekerye aededuyne gelegen (Farms and Bleaching-Fields) c. 1611 - 1612

Claes Jansz. Visscher created this print, “Farms and Bleaching-Fields,” offering a glimpse into the rural life of the Netherlands in the 17th century. During this era, the Dutch Golden Age flourished, marked by economic prosperity and cultural innovation. The print depicts workers engaged in the labor-intensive process of bleaching textiles, laying them out in fields to be whitened by the sun. Consider the gendered division of labor inherent in such scenes; while men are often depicted overseeing the work, women and children are shown performing the more physically demanding tasks. The bleaching fields themselves, seemingly bucolic, were sites of intense labor and economic production. Contemplate how Visscher’s representation of rural life both romanticizes and obscures the realities of labor and economic disparity. These images served to create a national identity rooted in the idealized countryside while also highlighting the economic activities that fueled the Dutch Republic's rise to prominence.