A Woman Doing Housework, Plate 5 from "Five Feminine Occupations"

Art Historical Context

Geertruydt Roghman’s *A Woman Doing Housework created around 1648–50, is the fifth plate in her series *Five Feminineations*. This engraving captures a servant woman immersed in domestic chores within a modest interior, reflecting the everyday realities of 17th-century Dutch life. Roghman, a engraver from a prominent family of Dutch artists, specialized in detailed genre scenes that elevated ordinary moments to art. As a product of the Dutch Golden Age the print highlights the era’s fascination with middle-class domesticity and women’s labor. Engravings like this allowed for precise, intricate lines that convey texture—from rumpled fabrics to worn tools—making fine art accessible through affordable prints. The medium’s durability ensured wide distribution, bringing intimate glimpses of home life to households across Europe. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Drawings and Prints department, this work underscores Roghman’s rare voice as a female artist documenting feminine roles. It invites viewers to appreciate the quiet dignity in routine tasks, offering a window into the unseen workforce of the time.