Achter het postkantoor te Oosterbeek c. 1865

Anton Mauve made this watercolour called 'Behind the Post Office in Oosterbeek' sometime in the 19th century. It shows a slice of rural life in the Netherlands. Mauve’s subdued palette and focus on the everyday reflects the influence of the Hague School, which emphasized realism and naturalism in painting. He was committed to portraying the life of the working class. Here, we see the artist's interest in depicting the landscape as it was actually used and experienced by common people. The ordinary scene, with its muted tones and attention to the details of rural life, suggests a desire to capture the authentic character of the Dutch countryside, away from romantic idealization. For historians, such images are invaluable. They show us how artists saw their rapidly changing world, but also how social values and ideas about national identity shaped their representation of the world. We use archival sources and contemporary accounts to learn more about the artist's life and the artistic conventions of the period. The image becomes a window into the social and institutional structures of the time.