Staand meisje op klompen c. 1892 - 1900

Isaac Israels sketched this standing girl on wooden shoes with charcoal and black chalk. The young girl, a humble figure, represents the traditional values and enduring spirit of the Dutch working class. Wooden shoes, or ‘klompen,’ have deep roots in Dutch history, symbolizing practicality, resilience, and connection to the land. Consider how footwear echoes across time and cultures, from the peasant sandals depicted in Breugel’s paintings to the elaborate shoes in Renaissance portraits. The ‘klompen’ situate this girl in a lineage of laborers, their wooden shoes a tool to face the often harsh realities of their time. This image captures a timeless human experience, echoing through centuries of art. These shoes speak to the universal themes of labor, identity, and the human spirit’s enduring ability to carry on despite hardship.