Meisje met een pop 1735 - 1757

Alexander van Haecken created this print titled 'Girl with a doll' sometime in the first half of the 18th century. During this period, childhood was viewed through a lens of innocence, yet deeply intertwined with the expectations of adult roles, especially for girls. Here, the young girl is depicted dressing her doll. The doll, a miniature version of an adult woman, reflects the societal expectations placed on young girls to prepare for their future roles as wives and mothers. The open box of dress-up objects suggests a world of imagination, but also hints at the limited sphere of domesticity to which women were confined. Note the girl's serious expression, which offers a glimpse into the complex interplay of play and preparation, freedom and constraint, that shaped the lives of young women in the 1700s. The artwork captures a moment of childhood, yet it also speaks volumes about the cultural conditioning that shaped women’s identities and opportunities during this era.