Vrouw in Scheveningse dracht c. 1873

Johannes Bosboom sketched this woman in traditional dress with graphite on paper. The sketch is made with the barest of means. The artist uses the most modest of materials to convey the character of his subject. Look closely, and you will see that it is an exercise in economy, recording a local woman in her distinctive costume. Scheveningen was a fishing village near The Hague. We might assume that the woman’s clothing was not simply a matter of personal taste but a kind of uniform, indicative of her place in a local economy and culture. Bosboom was a painter known for his interior scenes of churches. This small sketch reveals another aspect of his practice, documenting everyday life in the Netherlands. It reminds us that all such images, however seemingly humble, are the product of a particular time and place. They are valuable cultural records, of both the maker and the made.