Boerderij aan het water 1809 - 1834

Cornelis Borsteegh created this drawing, “Farm by the Water,” sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century using pen and brush in gray. The artist's detailed rendering of the farm buildings and the surrounding landscape evokes a particular time and place in Dutch history, one that’s deeply tied to its agricultural roots. During this period, rural life was often romanticized, yet it also faced many challenges due to economic shifts and social inequalities. Borsteegh's choice to depict a simple, everyday scene invites us to consider the lives of the rural working class. It prompts us to reflect on the historical narratives of labor, land ownership, and the often-unseen struggles of those who lived close to the land. There is a quiet beauty in the farm, but also a sense of vulnerability, as if the changing times might wash it away.