ABRAHAM VAN STRY PAINTING, BLIND GIRL BEGGING (Oil painting)
18th century
HASMG:1955.37
Oil painting of a blind girl begging on doorstep.- Jack Guy, Curating for Change Fellow, Hastings Museum and Art GalleryCommunity curation: Disabled people have always been a part of history; however, their achievements and depiction have often been placed in the background or failed to be documented. This painting of an unknown blind girl begging...
Rights information: Copyright: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Description
Oil painting of a blind girl begging on doorstep.
- Jack Guy, Curating for Change Fellow, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Community curation: Disabled people have always been a part of history; however, their achievements and depiction have often been placed in the background or failed to be documented. This painting of an unknown blind girl begging in a doorway highlights how disabled people have often been seen as passive. However, if we look deeper at this painting, we can also gather a sense of how disabled people were active. The girl is well dressed and clean and able to look after herself. She is also able to navigate the streets of the city on her own to find a space to sit.