Boom c. 1863 - 1864

Maria Vos made this sketch of a tree with graphite on paper. Vos was working in the Netherlands in the 19th century. The Dutch art world had specific institutional structures at the time. Art academies played a significant role in shaping artistic styles and providing artists with training and exhibition opportunities. Vos was able to become a successful painter at a time when women artists were not always taken seriously. This gives us an idea of the degree to which the institutions of art were becoming more open to women. We can learn more by studying the exhibition records of the day. Who was buying art, and who was being excluded? The historian seeks to understand the conditions that made art like this possible. By doing archival research, we can get a much clearer idea of women's changing social roles in the Netherlands and their growing participation in Dutch cultural life.