Twee meisjes spelend met een pop 1777 - 1779

Pieter de Mare made this etching of two girls playing with a doll sometime in the late 18th century. The scene is rendered with delicate lines, typical of the etching process, where the artist scratches into a wax-coated metal plate before immersing it in acid. Notice how the seemingly simple act of play is framed by the textures of everyday life. The rough brickwork, the worn wooden door, and the humble broom in the corner all speak to a world of labor and domesticity. The doll, a carefully crafted object in its own right, becomes a focal point, a miniature representation of the adult world these girls are poised to enter. De Mare's choice of etching, a relatively accessible printmaking technique, allows for the wide dissemination of this image. It invites us to consider the social context of childhood, and the ways in which even simple toys can reflect the values and expectations of a particular time and place. It underscores how materials and making are never far removed from the larger realities of labor, class, and consumption.