Moeder bij een wieg met baby 1867 - 1886

Albert Halberstad made this etching, titled 'Mother by a Cradle with Baby', in the late 19th century. Halberstad, who died at only 29, gives us an intimate scene of domestic life, yet he does so in a way that acknowledges the psychological weight of motherhood. The somber tones and dense crosshatching create an atmosphere of both tenderness and confinement. The mother, rendered with soft, blurred lines, blends into the background, her form almost indistinguishable from the cradle and the surrounding room. This merging of the maternal figure with her environment speaks to the way motherhood can subsume a woman's identity, blurring the lines between self and caregiver. The room itself, with its minimal furnishings and subdued light, conveys a sense of isolation. While seemingly timeless, this image invites us to reflect on the cultural expectations placed on women, then and now, and the emotional labor involved in nurturing new life.