Public Domain Art
A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair, Known as ‘A Mother’s Duty’, c. 1660 - c. 1661, by Pieter de Hooch, oil on canvas, public domain

A Mother Delousing her Child’s Hair, Known as ‘A Mother’s Duty’ — History & Analysis

Pieter de Hooch

A mother thoroughly inspects her child’s head for lice. She pursues her task in a sober Dutch interior, with Delft blue tiles and a box bed.

In the right foreground is a ‘kakstoel’, or potty chair. Through the doorway is a glimpse of a sunny back room and a garden.

De Hooch specialized in such ‘through-views’.

More works by Pieter de Hooch

More Artworks by Pieter de Hooch