Jonge vrouw met lamp bij een venster 1837 - 1853

Carel Christiaan Antony Last made this print of a young woman with a lamp by a window, but the exact date is unknown. It is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. Prints like this one played a vital role in shaping and circulating ideas of Dutch identity during the 19th century. The woman's modest dress and domestic setting evoke a sense of traditional values and quiet virtue. In contrast to more bombastic nationalistic imagery, the woman represents the idea of Holland as the home and the protector of these private values. Yet such images also obscure complex social realities. By looking at historical sources such as census records and domestic advice manuals, we can begin to unpack the complex role of women, and ideas around the home, in the Dutch society of the time.