Sitzende Frau mit Buch auf einer Rasenbank 

Philipp Rumpf made this drawing of a seated woman with a book on a grassy bank, most likely in Germany in the mid-19th century. The simple pencil sketch depicts a woman in profile, absorbed in her reading. What can such a commonplace scene tell us? The rise of literacy among women in the 19th century allowed them to participate more fully in cultural and intellectual life. The drawing suggests a quiet moment of self-cultivation, accessible to the growing middle classes. But it also suggests a degree of leisure, supported by a social system in which women of a certain class did not need to work for a living. By looking at archival sources like census records, domestic advice manuals, and histories of education, we can get a clearer picture of the social conditions that made this image possible. We see the drawing as more than just a portrait of a woman reading. It reflects the complex social and economic realities of its time.