Meisje bij houten trap, kademuur 1870 - 1923

Willem Witsen made this pencil drawing, "Girl by wooden stairs, quay wall", at an unknown date, but probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. The drawing depicts a girl walking along a quay wall beside a canal house in the Netherlands. At the time, the Netherlands was undergoing rapid urbanization and industrialization, which led to significant social changes. Witsen belonged to a group of artists known as the Amsterdam Impressionists, who were interested in capturing the everyday life of the city. The drawing is simple and unpretentious, but it captures the atmosphere of Amsterdam at the time. The girl is small and alone, but she seems to be at home in the city. The buildings are old and weathered, but they are also full of character. The drawing suggests that Amsterdam was a city of contrasts, where the old and the new, the rich and the poor, lived side by side. By looking into archives of photographs, literature, or historical records, we can learn more about the social context and cultural values that shaped not only this artwork but also our understanding of it today.