Seated Woman 

Armand Rassenfosse created this print of a seated woman using etching and drypoint techniques. The image evokes questions about labor, gender and class in late 19th and early 20th century Europe. The woman's plain dress and headscarf suggest a working-class background. The industrial landscape behind her, dominated by factories and mining structures, places her in the context of heavy industry. Rassenfosse was from Belgium, a country that underwent rapid industrialization in this period, and he was interested in the social impact of new technology. Prints like this were often made as inexpensive multiples and sold to a wide public. The scene can be interpreted as social commentary, representing the lives of women workers whose labor fueled the industrial revolution. Art historians often examine demographic records, economic data, and other period documents to analyze the social function of art and to more deeply understand the world in which the artist lived.