Vrouw vlooit het haar van haar kind 1833 - 1869

Curator: This pencil drawing, which may have been translated into a print, by Adolf Carel Nunnink is titled “Vrouw vlooit het haar van haar kind.” It's believed to have been created sometime between 1833 and 1869. Editor: Well, immediately it strikes me as an incredibly tender image. It's intimate, almost hushed, the way the light falls. You can almost feel the child’s trust, just leaning back into the care of the mother. Curator: Indeed. The act of delousing, or “vlooien,” as the title suggests, was a common theme in genre paintings of this era. It signified more than just hygiene; it symbolized domesticity and maternal care, ideas which gained emphasis throughout the nineteenth century. Delousing could be interpreted, then, as symbolic of familial connection, particularly the role of women within it. Editor: Absolutely. And the contrast between the mother’s downcast gaze and the child’s looking upward creates this beautiful dialogue. Is the mother lost in thought? Is the child looking to a story? I’m captivated by what is happening just beyond the frame. I feel nostalgia, and it brings back memories from childhood, of being still and quiet in my mother's presence. Curator: I agree. There’s a very deliberate composition happening here. Nunnink situates his figures in this intimate setting that’s rich with domestic cues, making us feel like voyeurs of this special moment. What fascinates me is the endurance of this very universal scene of domestic care. We've seen these intimate depictions throughout time in art, from Cassatt’s domestic scenes to Dutch masters before her, which really roots the iconography here into broader historical dialogues. Editor: It's so true—these images create echoes through generations. What could feel simpler, yet the feeling is profoundly universal. A simple moment, elevated and infused with meaning. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. I, too, am struck again by how Nunnink transforms something as commonplace as delousing into a really moving portrait of maternal devotion.