Miss Annette Hage 1856

Wilhelm Marstrand painted Miss Annette Hage sometime in the mid-19th century. It’s an oil on canvas, and it shows us a young woman reading a book with a child. What are we to make of such a scene? Genre painting in Denmark during the 1800s was often focused on scenes of everyday life, reflecting a growing middle class and its values. The emphasis on education and refinement can be seen as mirroring broader societal shifts towards enlightenment ideals. The intimacy of the scene and the focus on the figures humanizes the subjects which contrasts with earlier traditions of historical and religious painting, in which the main figures were lofty and idealized. To delve deeper, we need to consult historical records, personal letters, and period publications to find out more about the artist, and the sitter as well as the social conventions of Danish society at the time. Art history reminds us that meaning is always constructed and contingent.