Kop van een kind 1834 - 1903

Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch sketched this study of a child's head, sometime in the 19th century. Weissenbruch was deeply involved in the Hague School, which sought to capture the authentic experiences of everyday life. In the study, Weissenbruch's delicate lines trace the soft contours of the child's face in profile and head, capturing a fleeting moment of serenity or contemplation. The sketch emphasizes innocence, but in what context? With child mortality rates staggeringly high at this time, childhood was understood as a brief, transitional phase. Middle class children were frequently adorned in gender neutral clothing, and visually fetishized for their innocence. The image can therefore be considered within the context of societal attitudes towards children in the 19th century. This image prompts us to consider our own memories and feelings of childhood, and to ponder how societal norms can shape our perceptions of innocence.