In the Hammock 1876

Hans Thoma painted this tranquil scene of a woman and child in a hammock sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Thoma was associated with a current within German art that turned away from urban and industrial life towards a kind of idealized nature. Here, a mother and child enjoy a moment of leisure in a lush landscape, and it speaks to the desire for simpler times. But what are the social conditions that allow for leisure time? Consider that such scenes often serve as a kind of aspirational imagery for the middle class. What are the politics of such imagery? Is it nostalgic or progressive? Such questions require us to do further research into German social history, the art market, and the place of the artist within it. It all helps us better understand the meaning of this image.