Wenzel Tornøe (b. Svendborg 1844, d. Frederiksberg 1907)
“En Sypige. Pintsemorgen”. A dressmaker on Whitsunday morning. Signed and dated Venzel Tornøe 1883. Oil on paper laid on canvas. 42×37 cm.
The tired dressmaker who has fallen asleep on Whitsunday morning after a long night's work is Tornøes most famous motif and exists in several versions and dimensions. The motif strikes up a tone of Social Realism with the young dressmaker who has been working all night in her garret in the light of the oil lamp to finish the commission from a wealthy lady. But the motif is picturesque and the dressmaker is a young beautiful model - so this is not a realistic look into the real sewing rooms of the time, but a more romantic rendering.
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