Huiswever uit Laren 1892

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made this red chalk drawing titled ‘Huiswever uit Laren’ in 1892. The image depicts a domestic weaver from Laren, a village in the Netherlands, at his loom. Holst was deeply involved in the Dutch socialist movement of the late 19th century. This drawing resonates with the movement’s focus on the plight of the working class. The image seems to be a sympathetic portrayal of the weaver who is presented as a craftsman and perhaps even a member of the ‘folk’. The Dutch art world at this time was seeing a turn towards social realism, partly inspired by French artists like Millet and Courbet. By focusing on the everyday lives of ordinary people, artists like Holst brought visibility to the working class and questioned the dominant social hierarchies. To fully understand the drawing, one might research Dutch social movements of the late 19th century as well as Roland Holst’s political engagement and the cultural context in which this drawing was made.