Jonge vrouw poetst een ketel c. 1825 - 1827

Théodore Fourmois made this print of a young woman cleaning a kettle in the 19th century. It evokes the visual codes of genre painting. In the 1800s, art academies in Europe were debating how artists should portray everyday life. Should paintings focus on grand historical narratives or on the lives of ordinary people? Fourmois’ print enters that discussion, offering an image of the working class that is neither idealized nor overtly critical. Made in Belgium, the artwork reflects that country's own social structures. Its placement in the Rijksmuseum also underscores the way institutions shape artistic production and reception. The meaning of art is contingent on these social and institutional contexts. As historians, we can use period documents to better understand these contexts.