Niña cosiendo 

Carmen Osés Hidalgo created this oil painting called ‘Niña cosiendo,’ or ‘Girl Sewing,’ sometime in the first half of the twentieth century in Spain. It depicts a young girl absorbed in the task of sewing. The image evokes a sense of domesticity and the traditional roles assigned to women. In the social context of Spain during this period, marked by political upheaval and social conservatism, women were often relegated to the domestic sphere. Hidalgo's work offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of girls, and how they were educated into very specific gender roles from an early age. Historians of art might look at census records and school curricula to further explore this period and gain insight into the experiences and representations of women in Spanish society. By doing so we can better understand not only the artistic choices of Hidalgo, but also the broader social and cultural forces that shaped her world.