Det var Sommer 1928

“Det var Sommer,” or “It Was Summer,” is a drawing by Fritz Syberg, now held at the Statens Museum for Kunst. Syberg, who lived from 1862 to 1939, created this work amidst a backdrop of significant social change in Denmark, including the rise of industrialization and urbanization, which led to both a nostalgia for rural life and a re-evaluation of traditional gender roles. The image depicts a scene in the countryside where a woman stands with a child, while another child sits in a stroller. They are looking out towards a field of grazing cattle. The sketch captures a moment of maternal care within the pastoral landscape. It’s interesting to consider the ways in which Syberg’s image reflects the changing dynamics within families and communities. The woman appears as a central figure, seemingly responsible for the care of her children. The scene hints at the changing roles of women in Danish society at the time, even as it romanticizes a return to simpler, rural ways of life. This sketch is not just an image of a summer day; it is also a reflection on the evolving place of women and children within the shifting social fabric of early 20th-century Denmark.