Ontwerp voor In Holland staat een Huis: silhouet van een echtpaar met kind in wieg 1884 - 1917

Nelly Bodenheim made this silhouette design for the Dutch nursery rhyme book "In Holland staat een huis." Silhouette art, popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was a democratic art form. Its accessibility allowed for a broader representation of social classes, moving away from the exclusive patronage of portrait painting by the elite. Bodenheim’s silhouette harkens back to this era, evoking a sense of nostalgia for simpler times. The image depicts a domestic scene, a couple with their child in a cradle, captured in stark black against a white background. It is interesting to consider how Bodenheim, working in the early 20th century, used this historical technique to reflect on Dutch identity. What aspects of national identity did she wish to emphasize through this aesthetic choice? To delve deeper, one might explore Dutch social history, folklore, and the history of children's literature. The study of Bodenheim’s personal history, and the artistic institutions she participated in, might reveal further layers of meaning.