Vrouw aan het werk met turf before 1899

This photograph of a woman working with peat was made by Th. u. O. Hofmeister, and appeared in a photography journal. It captures a woman in traditional dress, negotiating a makeshift bridge with a wheelbarrow full of peat. Looking at this image, we can consider the social and economic conditions of the time. Hofmeister was working in the early 20th century, a period when industrialization was rapidly changing European society, but the traditional ways of life persisted in many rural areas. Peat, a fuel source, was often harvested by hand, a labor-intensive process typically undertaken by the working class. The woman's traditional clothing situates her within a specific cultural context, perhaps one where such labor was gendered and deeply entwined with local identity. To fully understand this image, we might consult archives of photography journals, census records, and local histories. By examining the social context in which the photograph was created, we gain insight into its meaning and its role as a document of its time.