Staande boerin met de hand op de heup before 1817

Balthasar Paul Ommeganck made this drawing of a standing peasant woman with pencil on paper. Ommeganck was a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, a professional organization for artists that maintained strict control over artistic production. In the late 18th century, artists were starting to question the Guild's power and the traditional hierarchy of genres, with history painting at the top, and genre painting, like this image of a peasant woman, considered less important. But, it is precisely the image of the peasant that begins to take hold in the popular imagination at the time. Here, Ommeganck captures the woman in a moment of thoughtful repose. There is a sense of dignity and quiet strength in her stance, hand on her hip, as she engages the viewer's gaze. The drawing could be read as a romanticized vision, where the representation of rural life reflected the social and political currents of the time. It invites us to consider the identity and lived experience of this woman, a member of the laboring class in a rapidly changing society.