Koeienkop met horens 1840 - 1880

Johannes Tavenraat made this quick sketch of a cow’s head in the Netherlands, sometime in the mid-19th century, using pen and brown ink. At this time, Dutch artists were part of a wider European movement to represent rural life. This was a period of rapid industrialisation and urban growth. Pictures of contented cows, like this one, appealed to city dwellers who were becoming nostalgic for an idealised vision of the countryside. Animals such as cows had great economic importance and were highly valued. The controlled landscape was maintained by an expanding network of scientific institutions such as agricultural colleges and veterinary schools. By studying the archives of these institutions, we can understand more about the changing relationship between people, animals and the land in the 19th century. This little sketch reminds us that our image of nature is always shaped by social change.