Vrouw in katzwijm 1768 - 1784

Pieter de Mare created this print, 'Vrouw in katzwijm', sometime before his death in 1796, likely in Amsterdam. It depicts a woman who has fainted in her bed, while a man, possibly a doctor, looks on with concern. The artwork reflects the social norms of the late 18th century, a time when female health was often misunderstood. Fainting was sometimes pathologized as a sign of female hysteria, reflecting gendered expectations and assumptions about women's bodies and emotional states. Here, the woman is passive, confined to her bed, while the man is active and concerned, in a caring role. What does it mean for the woman to be utterly vulnerable, to be stripped, in this moment, of all that might constitute a sense of self? How might we understand this image as a commentary on the power dynamics between men and women of the time? Ultimately, this work presents a tableau of distress, one that invites us to reflect on the historical and cultural contexts that shaped the experiences and representations of gender.