Schoolgirl doing homework 1879

Albrecht Anker painted this image of a schoolgirl doing her homework, sometime in the late 19th century. It raises a few questions about the social role of educational institutions. Anker was a Swiss painter, and his work often depicted scenes of everyday life in rural Switzerland. This work fits into the genre painting tradition of the time. But look closer: The girl is fair-haired, with pale skin and is wearing a necklace - likely from a well-off family. Anker isn't showing us how all children lived. The image also creates meaning through what isn't there: There is no school building in the background, which prompts us to ask where education is happening. Has the space of education been moved into the home? How did gender and class affect access to education at this time? To really understand a work like this, we need to look into the social conditions that shaped artistic production. What were the debates around educational institutions in Switzerland at this time? Art historical research can help us uncover such questions.