Groentemarkt, van achteren Possibly 1651 - 1652

Harmen ter Borch created this pen and brown ink drawing, titled "Groentemarkt, van achteren," around 1651, offering us a glimpse into a 17th-century Dutch marketplace. Ter Borch, born in the Netherlands during its Golden Age, would have been keenly aware of the burgeoning merchant class and the economic vitality of Dutch society. Here, we see figures busily engaged in commerce, their backs turned to us, obscuring their identities. This particular vantage point is interesting; the artist chooses to show us the labor, the transactions, the material of the market, and not the individual faces. Consider the role of women at the market, their presence essential yet often unacknowledged in historical narratives. Ter Borch captures the social dynamics of the marketplace, hinting at the diverse roles individuals played in this bustling hub of economic and social exchange. In its depiction of everyday life, the drawing invites us to reflect on the lives of ordinary people, their labor, and their place in the broader tapestry of Dutch society.