A Knock at the Door

Today's painting depicts a woman attending to her toilette before answering a knock. The setting evokes the 17th-century Netherlands, with blue and white tiles along the baseboards, heavy leaded windows, dark wooden furniture, and a calendar dated 1684. To the left, a sewing pile—complete with a thimble, thread, and scissors—rests on a table by a chair. The composition recalls the work of Johannes Vermeer, known for intimate domestic scenes where women perform household or traditionally feminine tasks. The soft, iridescent light in this painting enhances the woman's attire, the polished wooden floor, and the sewing materials while also reflecting the outside scene on the window. Vermeer's art had been revived decades before this painting was made.

A contemporary once noted that Laura Alma-Tadema was celebrated for her portrayals of "domestic life, Dutch habits, Dutch furniture, and Dutch dress of the gentler and more courtly sort in the seventeenth century." Alma-Tadema, who trained under English artist Ford Madox Brown, married Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a Dutch artist who had recently relocated to London. Their shared interest in Dutch culture deepened after their honeymoon in the Netherlands. In 1884, they undertook an elaborate renovation of their London home, designing it with 17th-century Dutch influences, including Laura's studio.

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P.P.S. Throughout centuries artists have explored the act of getting dressed to unravel narratives about societal norms, personal rituals, and the symbolism of attire. Take a look at the art of getting dressed in paintings!