Zittende vrouw, van achteren, werkend bij een olielamp c. 1651

Harmen ter Borch made this drawing of a seated woman from behind, working by an oil lamp, using pen in brown ink, brush in brown and gray ink, and gray wash, sometime in the 17th century. The washes of brown and grey ink, applied with a brush, give the composition its tonal depth, with the pen lines articulating the figures, furniture, and lamp. The grainy paper has the texture of aged vellum. This combination of techniques and materials links the drawing to the broader tradition of Dutch Golden Age painting, when artists like ter Borch explored everyday scenes with an emphasis on realism and detail. In this intimate scene, the woman's labor is illuminated by the soft glow of the oil lamp, a vital source of light in a pre-industrial world. The drawing thus speaks to broader social issues of labor, class, and the daily lives of ordinary people. Looking at the materials, making, and social context of this drawing allows us to appreciate it as a window into the past, inviting us to consider the lives and experiences of those who lived and worked in 17th-century Netherlands.