The Nurse, from Cahier de six eaux-fortes, vues de Hollande

Art Historical Context

Johan Barthold Jongkind's *The Nurse*, created in 1862 as part of his *Cahier de six eaux-fortes, vues de Hollande* (Notebook of Six Etchings, Views of Holland), captures the everyday life of the Dutch countryside during a period when the artist bridged Dutch realism and emerging French Impressionism. Born in the Netherlands but largely based in France, Jongkind drew inspiration from his homeland's serene landscapes and intimate scenes, producing this etching amid his travels and evolving style. The series reflects 19th-century nostalgia for traditional Dutch subjects, evoking the quiet dignity of rural Holland. Rendered in brownish-black ink on ivory laid paper, the work exemplifies Jongkind's mastery of etching—a intaglio technique where acid etches lines into a metal plate for precise, tonal depth. Measuring 16.5 × 20.7 cm, its modest scale invites close viewing, highlighting the artist's fluid linework and atmospheric effects that foreshadowed Impressionist light play. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, it showcases the tactile quality of laid paper, with its visible chain lines adding historical authenticity. This print not only demonstrates Jongkind's technical innovation in printmaking but also his role as a pivotal influence on artists like Monet, blending meticulous detail with evocative mood for a timeless glimpse into 19th-century Europe.

About the Artist

Johan Barthold Jongkind · 1819–1891

Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819–1891) was born on June 3 in the rural village of Lattrop, in the Netherlands' Overijssel province, and emerged as a pivotal figure bridging Dutch landscape traditions with the dawn of Impressionism. He began his formal training at The Hague's art academy under the esteemed landscape painter Andreas Schelfhout, whose influence rooted Jongkind in the meticulous depictio...