Meisje met een bloem 1834 - 1854

Willem Frederik Wehmeyer made this print called ‘Meisje met een bloem’ or ‘Girl with a flower’ using etching techniques sometime in the mid-19th century. Looking at this image, it's important to remember the context of Dutch art institutions and the market for imagery at the time. Etchings like this one served a vital function in circulating images widely and were often collected in albums or used for educational purposes. Wehmeyer, who was associated with the Felix Meritis Society in Amsterdam, produced work that often reflected middle-class values. This print aligns with the period's focus on childhood innocence and domestic virtue. The girl's pose and the presentation of the flower invite us to consider ideas about beauty, youth, and perhaps even the fleeting nature of life. As historians, we use institutional records, market data, and cultural studies to investigate images like this. The meaning of art is never fixed, but always contingent on its social and institutional context.