Oude vrouw met kind op een brug 1888

Ferdinand Oldewelt made this print of an old woman with a child on a bridge using etching techniques. The work, titled "Winter Evening," evokes the social realities of late 19th-century Holland, a period marked by stark class divisions and rapid urbanization. The image presents a solitary figure traversing a snow-covered bridge, an image laden with visual codes. The dim lighting, muted tones, and precarious positioning of the figures collectively evoke a sense of marginalization and vulnerability. The bridge itself might symbolize a liminal space between one place and another. Oldewelt was active in a period of institutional change and public debate about poverty and the distribution of resources. Artists were keen to depict modern life and its challenges. To truly understand this etching, we would look to period sources: government reports, newspaper articles, and even literature that described and debated the social problems of the time. Only then can we fully appreciate how Oldewelt used art to engage with pressing social issues.