Portret van een oude vrouw, van voren 1830 - 1903

Editor: Here we have Jan Cornelis van Rossum's "Portrait of an Old Woman, Front View," created sometime between 1830 and 1903. It's a pencil drawing and it really struck me how much detail the artist was able to achieve with just a pencil. What stands out to you when you look at this work? Curator: I immediately think about the process. Consider the availability and cost of materials like pencils and paper in the 19th century. Pencil wasn't always the ubiquitous item we know now; graphite had to be mined, processed, and formed. This portrait speaks to a certain level of access and affluence, both for the artist and potentially the sitter, right? Editor: That’s a good point! I hadn't considered the economic side of just creating art materials. So, even the choice of medium, pencil, suggests a certain status? Curator: Precisely. And let’s examine that bonnet. Lace-making was intensely laborious, often piecework done by women in harsh conditions. Is the artist subtly commenting on the societal forces at play by meticulously depicting this intricate textile? Does realism serve as a form of social commentary here? Editor: So, the drawing isn't *just* a portrait; it's also a record of the materials used and the labor involved in creating both the artwork itself *and* the items depicted within it. It's almost like an economic history, in a way. Curator: Exactly! By focusing on the materiality and production, we see beyond a simple depiction of an individual. We uncover stories of labor, value, and the social structures of the time. What else do you see when you examine this through a lens of materiality? Editor: I think I need to go learn more about the lace-making industry during that time period. This portrait has definitely given me a lot to think about! Curator: Wonderful! Seeing art as more than just an image, as a product of material and labor, offers such richer perspectives.