Moeder en kind bij een lege stoel 1845

Jan Frederik Christiaan Reckleben created this print, "Mother and Child by an Empty Chair," sometime in the mid-19th century. The scene depicts a woman and child in a domestic setting, yet it's the unoccupied chair that captures our attention. In the 19th century, domesticity was a key aspect of a woman's identity, yet the print hints at something beyond the idealized home. The empty chair becomes a powerful symbol, inviting interpretations of loss, absence, or perhaps even unfulfilled potential. The woman, while present with her child, seems lost in thought, her gaze directed elsewhere. Is she grieving, longing, or simply contemplating a future different from the one laid out for her? The absence in the chair speaks volumes, suggesting the complexities and unspoken realities of women's lives during this period, resonating with the viewer on a deeply personal level.