Vrouw die met de linkerhand piano speelt c. 1894

Julie de Graag created this pencil drawing, called 'Woman playing the piano with her left hand', likely in the early 20th century in the Netherlands. The sketch shows a woman in profile, seated at a piano, her left hand poised to play. What can this image tell us about the social conditions that shaped artistic production at the time? In the Netherlands, art academies were gradually opening to women, but their paths were not without obstacles. Musical training, and especially piano playing, was considered an essential skill for women of a certain social class, seen as a sign of refinement. But women who sought professional recognition, such as Julie de Graag, often found their ambitions at odds with these expectations. The Rijksmuseum's archives are filled with letters and documents that reveal the challenges artists such as De Graag faced, but they also show us the strength and determination of these women. It's a reminder that the meaning of art is always contingent on the social and institutional context in which it's made.