Kind wordt door kindermeisje geholpen bij aankleden 1789

This engraving, by Barent de Bakker, shows a child being helped with dressing. It's made using a traditional printmaking technique, where lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The material itself, paper, has a delicate quality, contrasting with the weighty social context of the scene. It depicts a child of privilege, attended by a maidservant, revealing a clear social hierarchy. The act of dressing, usually a private affair, is here put on display, almost as a performance of status. The level of detail achieved through engraving speaks to the skill of the artist and the value placed on craftsmanship. Ultimately, this print invites us to consider the relationship between labor, class, and representation in the 18th century, and the way in which art can both reflect and reinforce social structures.