Engelse vrouw van stand met mof, staand op traptrede 1639 - 1707

Curator: This is a piece called "Engelse vrouw van stand met mof, staand op traptrede"—"English noblewoman with muff, standing on a step," if you will. It was created between 1639 and 1707 by Wenceslaus Hollar and is held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Wow, what a mood! She just exudes… entitlement. And that fur muff looks so darn fluffy; you just wanna bury your face in it, right? Curator: Indeed. Hollar’s work provides us with a vital lens to view gendered status and material culture of the era. The detailed rendering of her attire signals both wealth and social position. The fact that the location is specified signals trade relations and colonial exploitation to produce her attire. Editor: Exactly! Like, that dress couldn’t have just *happened*. Someone, somewhere, probably suffered to get that silk flowing so perfectly. The pearls too! Are they real or faux? I need a jeweler over here for a closer inspection. And those teeny curls? Hours in front of a mirror, I'm sure. It's amazing to me. All of that so many workers making it happen and so much attention and power at play and it becomes… "casual." Curator: It's crucial to note the historical context in which this image circulated. Prints such as this offered a means of disseminating fashion trends, but they also perpetuated hierarchical social structures. Look closely and you notice this specific rendering offers a visual catalogue of what it meant to perform “Englishness” and nobility. Editor: Hmm, yeah… I get that. It's a fascinating character study but it also does re-inscribe existing class and national hierarchies. Makes you wonder what she thought of all this primping and posing… Curator: Right. I appreciate how Hollar provides such a window onto 17th century dynamics of identity formation. Editor: Me too. Now I'm really daydreaming of soft fur muffs. Perhaps, I’ll create one! Thanks for walking me through the portrait.