Engelse vrouw met schaartje aan ceintuur 1640

Wenceslaus Hollar created this etching of an English woman, a diminutive 131 by 71 millimeters, in the 17th century. Hollar was born in Prague but spent much of his career in England. As a Central European artist working within the English context, he gives us an outsider's view of English society. This image, with its meticulous detail of costume, can be seen as a kind of proto-ethnographic record. The woman’s dress, head covering and even the scissors hanging from her waist tell us something about her social standing and role in the community. We need to ask, what was Hollar's intention in producing this image? Was it simply a study of costume, or did it carry a deeper social commentary? Perhaps he was documenting the perceived social distinctions within English society. To understand better, we might turn to contemporary sources such as costume books, social histories, and records of the artist’s own life and career. Approaching art through social and institutional history, we consider the conditions that shape artistic production.