Boereninterieur met een oude handwerkende vrouw bij een tafel 1854 - 1914

Albert Neuhuys created this sketch, "Boereninterieur met een oude handwerkende vrouw bij een tafel" or "Farmhouse Interior with an Old Handicrafting Woman at a Table" at an unknown date, and it now resides in the Rijksmuseum. Neuhuys, who lived from 1844 to 1914, painted during a time of significant social change, and this sketch offers an intimate, albeit unfinished, glimpse into the lives of rural women. During this time the woman was often portrayed as the Angel in the House or was represented as a Madona. However, here, rather than idealizing rural life, the focus on the woman's labor suggests an engagement with the realities of working-class life. The sketch invites us to reflect on the intersection of age, gender, and labor, and on the stories of those whose lives are often overlooked in grand historical narratives. The woman's presence is a reminder of the silent contributions of generations of women.