Man en twee vrouwen hout sprokkelend in het bos 1836 - 1912

Isaac Weissenbruch made this drawing of a man and two women gathering wood in the forest, using pen and ink. Weissenbruch lived through a time of significant social change in the Netherlands. Though he is known as a painter of the Hague School which aimed to depict rural life realistically, one cannot ignore the socio-economic dimensions of this scene. The act of gathering wood, often performed by women and the poor, speaks to issues of survival and labor. Are they collecting wood to sell, or for their own survival? Note the posture of the figure on the left, bent over and hard at work. The other two figures are standing more upright, and are differentiated by their dress. These details provide insight into the economic realities of the time. Consider how Weissenbruch’s work invites us to reflect on the lives of those often unseen, those who worked to make ends meet in the margins of society.