Zittend meisje met een muts c. 1868s - 1878s

Jan Willem van Borselen made this sketch of a 'Sitting Girl with a Bonnet' using graphite on paper. Executed in the Netherlands, likely in the mid-19th century, this work is interesting for what it implies about the institutional contexts in which artists operated. During this period, the Dutch art world was becoming increasingly structured around academies, exhibitions, and formal training. Quick sketches like this one were often produced as exercises, demonstrations of skill, or preparatory studies for larger works. The sketch’s informality may reflect a shift away from the rigid classicism that had dominated earlier academic art. Artists were starting to explore more direct and personal modes of expression, even while remaining within the orbit of institutional structures. To better understand this piece, consider the artist's biography, the role of drawing in 19th-century Dutch art education, and the changing market for artworks at that time. Art history is about understanding the dialogue between the artist, the artwork, and the world in which they were created.