Schetsboek met 20 bladen 1896

This small notebook was used by George Hendrik Breitner in the 1890s. It’s a simple object, but it speaks volumes about artistic practice in the late 19th century. Breitner was a key figure in the Amsterdam Impressionism movement. Artists in this period were interested in capturing the everyday life of the city. They would often sketch scenes from life in notebooks like this one. This one is made by P.A. Hoelen in Amsterdam. Breitner's work often focused on the working class. Amsterdam was undergoing rapid industrialization, and he wanted to document the impact of this on ordinary people. His images of working women and street scenes challenged the traditional focus on bourgeois life in art. We can learn more about Breitner's work by consulting his personal papers and the records of the art institutions he was associated with. These sources help us to understand the social and cultural context in which he worked, and to appreciate the radical nature of his artistic vision.