Lachend meisje staand voor twee bordurende jonge vrouwen 1864 - 1923

This is Peter von Halm’s print, "Laughing Girl Standing Before Two Embroidering Young Women", whose date is unknown, rendered in etching. The composition immediately splits into two distinct zones: one with the laughing girl, standing, light, and airy; and the other, darker, and more enclosed where the two women embroider. Notice how Von Halm used line to structure these zones, creating an explicit contrast between the active and passive figures. The laughing girl's presence is dynamic, emphasized by her upright posture, contrasted with the static, downward gazes of the embroidering women. The etching technique here is crucial; it’s not just a recording of a scene, but a formal device to create tension. Look at how the hatching is used: finer and more delicate on the girl, creating a sense of lightness, and much denser in the darker zone behind the embroidering women, which gives the background an air of mystery. This print may challenge the conventional aesthetics of idyllic scenes, inviting viewers to consider the active and passive roles of women as not merely aesthetic choices, but as coded social and cultural representations.