Schets van een zangeres die aan de piano wordt begeleid. 1840 - 1861

David Bles created this sketch of a singer and pianist with pen and ink sometime in the mid-19th century. The drawing offers a glimpse into the cultural life of the Netherlands during a time of significant social and political change. Consider the setting: a domestic interior where music-making takes place. During this period, musical performance, particularly singing and playing piano, became an important marker of bourgeois respectability. Middle-class families fostered musical talent in their daughters as a sign of cultural refinement, which could improve their social prospects. The rapid, informal lines of the sketch also draw attention to the labor involved in the production of culture. The artist shows the singer and pianist in rehearsal. He surrounds them with sketches that demonstrate the process of learning and performing. By studying archival materials, such as concert programs, newspaper reviews, and sheet music collections, we can learn more about the social world that this sketch evokes.