Waiting 1870

Henriëtte Ronner-Knip made this watercolor titled Waiting sometime in the 19th century. What does it mean to frame this image of a dog scratching at a door as ‘art’? We can see it as an intimate portrayal of domestic life, a celebration of the bond between humans and animals. But let’s think more broadly. Ronner-Knip was born in the Netherlands, but lived most of her life in Belgium. Her paintings of domestic animals became extremely popular in the increasingly wealthy and industrialized societies of Belgium and wider Europe. One can think about the rise of pet ownership in the 19th century as part of a changing culture, as industrialization led to new attitudes toward animals. As rural ways of life declined, so did practical relationships with animals, replaced by sentimental ones. Historians of art can draw on a range of sources such as social surveys, popular magazines, and literary accounts to better understand the changing status of animals in the nineteenth century. The image before you has the ability to help us understand the values and beliefs of its time.