Staande soldaat c. 1653

This is a pen and watercolor drawing of a soldier, made by Gesina ter Borch, a Dutch artist, at an unknown date. It appears in a book, alongside a handwritten poem. We can tell from his clothing and the style of his weapon that the soldier is a musketeer, a common type of infantryman in the 17th century. Ter Borch was the daughter of a tax collector and sister to several artists, including Gesina and Harmen. Her family history provided her with a unique view of Dutch society. What does it mean to include a drawing of a soldier in a family album? Was this a generic figure, a kind of wishful thinking, or a portrait of someone specific? It may be impossible to know for sure, but by looking into the history of the Dutch military, the social status of soldiers, and the lives of women artists at this time, we can get a clearer sense of what this image meant to Ter Borch and her family.