Portret van een dienstmeid die de vloer veegt en een dienstmeid die een stoel uitklopt 1885 - 1906

This photograph by Willem Gerhardus Kuijer captures two maids in quiet domestic labor. Notice how the act of cleaning, rendered here with such calm, echoes across centuries. From ancient Greece, where enslaved people maintained the purity of sacred spaces, to medieval tapestries depicting diligent servants, the act of cleaning has long been a motif, imbued with meanings of order, purity, and even social hierarchy. Consider the symbolism of sweeping: it is not just about removing dirt, but also about symbolically cleansing a space. Think of biblical scenes where brooms were used to purify spaces. Even the humble chair being dusted takes on significance; like thrones and benches, the chair is about order. In this image, the mundane labor performed by the maids takes on a deeper, psychological dimension, reflecting our collective need for cleanliness, and perhaps, a deeper yearning for moral purity. Dust is a universal metaphor for decay, its removal a constant, cyclical struggle against time.