Vrouw scheert een man 1670 - 1713

Pieter Schenk’s “Vrouw scheert een man” was created around the turn of the 18th century using etching and engraving. The sharp, deliberate lines of the printmaking process lend a crisp formality to this intimate scene. But consider what's being depicted: a woman performing the traditionally masculine task of shaving a man. This inversion of gender roles challenges social norms and expectations of the time, where labor and social status were strictly defined. The act of shaving itself, typically associated with male grooming rituals, is here recast as an act of domestic service and perhaps even affection. Schenk’s choice of printmaking as a medium allowed for the mass production and distribution of this image. It opened up questions about power dynamics, gender, and the shifting roles within the domestic sphere to a wider audience, blurring the lines between private life and public commentary.