Boerin met een mand en een zagende jongen before 1817

This drawing captures a woman with a basket and a boy sawing wood, and was made by Balthasar Paul Ommeganck in the late 18th or early 19th century. The sketch gives us a glimpse into the life and labor of the peasantry, and allows us to think about the division of labor within a family. You can see the woman, presumably the mother, with a large basket, maybe going to the market. The boy, likely her son, is occupied with the demanding task of sawing wood. What does it mean to see the labor of children rendered visible? Here we can see the ways in which the survival of the family depends on the contribution of each member, from mother to child. Ommeganck has given us a tender, intimate look at a family working together.